Of Crimson and Silk
by SpiritedChild
Summary: During Yakumo's second year, the tea club combines forces with the beauty club and starts a lucrative hostess club. At first, Yakumo is unsure about joining the club, but after finding out that Harima, the boy she may love, is going to be a patron, she eventually gives in to Akira's demands. But is Harima really the guy she needs to be with? Yakumo/Karasuma. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**AT FIRST, I ATTEMPTED TO JUST WRITE THIS WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS PLANS FOR THE PLOT. SINCE THAT FAILED HORRIBLY, I'LL MAKE A PLOT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. I HAVE A BASIC IDEA FOR THE STORY BUT NOT A VERY SOLID ONE. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.**

_**PLOT: HALFWAY THROUGH YAKUMO'S SECOND YEAR, THE TEA CLUB COMBINES FORCES WITH THE SCHOOL BEAUTY CLUB AND STARTS A RATHER LUCRATIVE HOSTESS CLUB. AT FIRST, YAKUMO IS UNSURE OF WHETHER OR NOT SHE WANTS TO PURSUE THIS SORT OF CLUB. BUT AFTER REALIZING THAT HARIMA, HER CRUSH SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WILL BE A PATRON, SHE EVENTUALLY AGREES TO AKIRA'S DEMANDS. BUT IS HARIMA THE GUY SHE REALLY NEEDS TO BE WITH?**_

_**PAIRINGS: **_

_**IT'S CURRENTLY A TOSS-UP BETWEEN YAKUMO/KARASUMA AND YAKUMO/HARIMA. THERE IS ALSO MENTIONS OF:**_

_**ONE SIDED HANAI/YAKUMO, ONE SIDED IMADORI/ YAKUMO, SLIGHT TENMA/KARASUMA, IMADORI/LAURA, KAREN/IMADORI, AND OTHER VARIOUS PAIRINGS.**_

**Chapter 1**

_On December 18th, 2006, Japan's Board of Education shut down all the Hostess Clubs across the country. When records were sorted through, it was found out that a hundred and twenty-five of them publicly existed. Over two thousand students and teachers were incarcerated for being involved in this massive chain of student sex trafficking. _

_Later that year, the protected accounts of almost every student involved in this scandal were frozen and finally surrendered to the government. The money collected was enough to set Japan financially for the next year. While most of the students involved felt trapped, there were a few who, to this day, claim that they owe everything they are to the Hostess Club they belonged to.  
_

_Among the students who were victimized, Yakumo Tsukamoto felt herself both changed and utterly transformed. Because of this stupid club, she had lost everything. What had she gained but a false life and a mask to hide behind? Had it really happened? Had she really surrendered herself, both mind and body, to corruption and let it take over her life?_

_With nothing more than a kimono on her back and a suitcase in her hand, Yakumo left Tokyo to go into hiding, along with many others that chose this over juvenile facilities or even prison. As she sat on the train, the hems of her furisode still drenched in the rain that she had walked a mile in to get here,she wondered where it had all began._

"_Tenma?" She whispered and her face hardened, finally realizing the true villain. "No. Akira. Mother."_

"_May we share a cabin with you?" Someone whispered from the other side of the private boxcar's door. Whispering a yes, Yakumo kept her head down and her eyes up as the two girls entered. Like her, both were in kimono. One look in their fear filled eyes and she knew that they had both been through something similar._

"_Yagami High." Yakumo whispered. "You?"_

_Both girls looked at each other uneasily before looking back to Yakumo. "__Yūhi Academy."_

"_Same." The other girl said. "We figured everybody from the public schools were already caught."_

_Yakumo didn't respond, nor did she ask them their names. From the moment the hunt started for parties involved, people had stopped trusting everybody, even their friends. After all, when you are down to owning nothing but your name, you did not give that away too. Not when someone could give your name away to someone in authority to save their own skin._

"_Riceball?" She asked them, a cloth with three of the salty treats sitting in the palms of her hands. Both girls looked like they were starving. Nodding fervently, they each took one and ate quickly._

"_How were you able to buy anything? Weren't you already tagged?" One asked, her eyes on the riceball that Yakumo was now eating._

_Yakumo looked at the right hand arm of both girls. Each of them wore a metal bracelet with a number on it. As did Yakumo. The bracelets had been originally given to each girl by their respective Hostess Club. It was designed to never come off without the use of a key and was only given to those who they felt they could trust to pledge their loyalty and never turn in a fellow hostess. But after the clubs were abolished and the meaning of these bracelets were discovered, anyone caught wearing one was to be instantly reported. _

"_I pulled in a favor." Yakumo told them, which was a lie. The riceballs Yakumo had obtained had been given to her by a helpful neighbor. But since Yakumo had almost everything ripped from her, she wanted to feel, if only for a moment, that she still had a say in something that happened to her. That she could still help herself survive in the world._

_Yakumo looked down at her own bracelet, the numbers 0210 engraved there. Examining the lock on the under part of her arm, she could plainly see the marks on both the metal and her arm from when she tried to pick the lock with a knife. She had pulled at it so hard that it had made her whole arm red for a few hours and left deep red lines that probably wouldn't disappear for at least a week._

"_Can you believe this rain?" The taller of the girls said with a nervous laugh. I thought it was supposed to snow this late in the year. It's out of the ordinary."_

_Yakumo barely cracked a smile. "Nothing's been very ordinary for a while now."_

"_Do you have someplace safe to go?" The younger one asked._

_Once again, Yakumo lapsed into silence. She did have a place to go. Her 'big sister' had pulled some strings for her and found a place for her to stay, only under the condition that she work in the organic medicine shop below the apartment. But telling these girls that there was a hiding place available might jeopardize her own chances of finding safety. It was risky enough walking around in the kimono. But since it was the only type of clothing she had left to wear, she couldn't really complain. She had to use the cards she had been given and try her best to stay out of the law's watchful eyes._

_Yakumo had heard horror stories from some acquaintances of hers. The juvenile facilities for people under the age of eighteen were located in the middle of the district. But due to the overflow since mid December, a second facility had been opened near the outskirts of the district. There, only those involved in the hostess scandal were kept. The girls had to endure daily abuse in any way imaginable by the guards and even by the male delinquents kept there._

_Shaking her head, she tried to hold back tears. What would happen to these girls if they couldn't find shelter? Should she risk her own safety for them? Mother would have told her to mind her own business and not concern herself in other people's affairs. Her big sister would have told her to do what little she could and not offer anyone something she couldn't necessarily give them._

_Trying to ignore both the girls across from her and the pain in her head and stomach from lack of sleep or enough to eat for the past few days, Yakumo closed her eyes and remembered solemnly how it had really all began._

Late March, 2006.

"I'm glad you all could make it today." Akira Takano said as Yakumo and Sarah, the only members of her tiny Tea Club, entered the room. Akira had dressed to the nines in a lavish pale green kimono complete with white obi and had clipped some pale, dangling fake flowers into her short auburn hair.

She knew that the two club members were shocked with the new decorations in the room. The round table had been removed and a low to the ground traditional table had been placed there instead. The walls had been lined with rice paper boarders as well as the door and window and a small shrine had been set up in the corner of the room. It was bare but it strongly resembled a private tearoom found inside of a tea house.

"I wasn't aware that you wanted us to have a meeting today Takano senpai or I would have brought those teabags I promised to bring." Sarah said quickly, her expression apologetic.

As the two girls knelt at the table with their senpai, Akira opened the folder that was sitting before her and looked down at the top paper inside of it. "I have bad news. The school wants to cut funding for our Tea Club."

Both girls gasped, though only Sarah seemed genuinely disappointed. As Sarah began to tell Akira how sorry she was to hear the news, Yakumo began to think of what she could do in the afternoons to replace the Tea Club. She could finally get some cleaning done and even have a snack waiting for Tenma by the time she got home. Realizing she was being rude, Yakumo bowed her head. "I'm very sorry to hear this Takano senpai."

Although this news would normally have devastated the chairwoman of any other club, Akira was calm and collected as always. Picking up the top paper in her folder, she slid it across the table for the girls to see. It was an advertisement for the school Beauty Club. They were currently taking new recruits and were accepting interviews throughout the week.

"Takano senpai..." Yakumo began, trying to make sense of why they were being shown this flyer. "Are you saying that you want us to join the Beauty Club?"

Akira did nothing to confirm or deny Yakumo's question. Instead, she picked up another paper and slid it across the table. After skimming the paper, Yakumo realized that it was a merger agreement. The Tea Club was requesting that the Beauty Club combine forces with them and the Beauty Club, along with the principal, had already signed the agreement. According to the paper, the Tea Club and Beauty Club would be abolished if the form was signed and a new club would be created.

"A Hostess Club?" Sarah asked curiously. "What is that, exactly? Is it anything like what class 2-C did for the last culture festival?"

Akira nodded. "Something like that. Only ours would be tasteful. It wouldn't be anything like what we did for our last culture festival project. Instead of selling fantasies, we'll sell arts. Though, in a sense, we're selling fantasies also. Spring has arrived and now is the perfect time to start a club like this."

"Arts?" Yakumo asked, her mind still on the pile of dishes she knew she needed to take care of as soon as she was allowed to leave.

"Singing, dancing, tea ceremony. We will all learn the skills that the Beauty Club teaches its members and they will learn from us the art of the tea ceremony. When we deem that the members are ready, we'll open for business. Because the principal has only agreed to a very small budget, the money we earn will help fund future meetings."

"What are we charging them for exactly?" Sarah asked, already on board.

"Admission, snacks and drinks. We'll also charge them to have a specific hostess entertain them at their table. I can imagine that we might be able to receive above ten thousand yen a day once we advertise the club properly and the profits will only go up from there. But you both need to sign this confidentiality agreement if you want in."

Sarah accepted hers right away and signed on the dotted line whereas Yakumo stared at the paper sadly. She really never wanted to join the Tea Club in the first place and now she was being forced to join another. "Takano senpai? I don't think I want to join this club." She said softly, feeling guilty for bailing on her senpai and on her best friend.

"But Yakumo... if you don't join, we won't have a club together." Sarah whispered, her eyes sad.

As much as Yakumo loved spending time with Sarah, she knew that her time was much better spent caring for her sister. "I'm very sorry but what you're telling me about this club...it sounds time consuming. Time I don't have."

Akira gave a humorless smile. "You would be right. The Hostess Club would take up as little as an hour an evening and as much as five on special nights. We would work you to the bone. But in the end, I can assure you that you would feel a sense of accomplishment."

"I'm sorry but I just can't..." Yakumo whispered, bowing her head in respect.

"Very well. You may go. Sarah, you and I need to visit our other perspective club members. After that, we have some recruiting to do."

Picking up her school bag, Yakumo gave Sarah a hug before exiting the room. Looking around, she noticed Tenma and a couple of her friends sitting on the floor, playing a game of old maid. Walking up to her sister, she smiled. "Hey sis. I'm going to head home now. Would you like to stay longer or would you like to go with me?"

Tenma was absolutely focused on the game. Waving her hand in Yakumo's direction, she started reaching for someone else's cards. Taking the hint, Yakumo turned on her heel and started heading for the locker room to retrieve her shoes. Unfortunately, Hanai happened to be waiting there too. "Yakumo my darling! I didn't expect you to leave your club for another thirty minutes! I waited for you so I can walk you home!"

Wincing at Hanai's loud voice, Yakumo bowed her head and scurried past him. The words that surrounded him were the same as the words that left his mouth. It was almost as if two voices were screaming at her instead of one. She hated how Hanai used pet names like that. Darling, sweetheart, goddess of my heart. He had a new one everyday. It's as if he had deluded himself into thinking they were a couple. Opening her locker, she collected her shoes and placed her school shoes in the locker.

"I must be going." She said quickly before walking in the direction of the front door. "Please don't trouble yourself. I can walk myself home."

"Hanai, give it a rest. You're freaking her out." Yakumo heard someone say. Looking back, she saw Mikoto, one of Tenma's best friends. She had previously been playing old maid but had bowed out of the game apparently. "Now come on, we gotta get to the dojo."

Mikoto grabbed a hold of Hanai's ear and drug him from the school. Sighing in relief, Yakumo was finally free to walk herself home. She enjoyed quiet time like this. No extra people, no conversation to keep up. Just herself and nature. When she had almost arrived home, Lori, her little black cat, appeared and walked alongside her.

"Hello there Lori. I'm home early." Yakumo said with a faint smile on her face.

Lori meowed and began to trot a little faster alongside her. When they made it to Yakumo and Tenma's shared traditional home, Yakumo unlocked the door and they both went inside. She sighed. Time to clean. After the kitchen and living room were spotless, she finally began to prepare a snack for Tenma. She should be home any minute. Giving Lori some fresh food and water in the little plastic bowls on the floor, she sat a plate of rice balls and a pot of tea on the kitchen table.

"I'm home!" Tenma yelled before running into the kitchen and sitting at the table. Devouring two rice balls in record time, she was working on her third when she finally spoke again. "Guess what I saw when I was about to leave the school."

Yakumo took a seat and poured herself a cup of tea before placing one of the rice balls on a napkin in front of her. "What was it?"

"I was passing a classroom and a saw a few girls inside it trying on kimonos! Pink ones and purple ones and blue ones and..."

Yakumo tuned her out, her mind going to Takano senpai and Sarah. They must have already started working together with the Beauty Club. She wondered what the Hostess Club would be like once they properly prepared. Even though it sounded exotic, she was positive that she had no time for something like that.

"...and white ones and...Yakumo, are you listening?" Tenma asked, her mouth full of rice.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Yakumo bowed her head in apology. "Sorry sis. I was just distracted."

"Well, you need to stop getting so distracted. It will start affecting your school work. Be focused like me... Oh no! I totally forgot! Three For The Kill is on right now!"

"But Tenma, your snack." Yakumo watched her older sister run from the kitchen. When the television in the living room turned on, she knew her sister would be totally absorbed until the show ended. Cleaning up the dishes they used, Yakumo went upstairs to take a bath.

As she soaked in the hot water, Yakumo thought about the rut her life seemed to be in. Things rarely changed for this crimson eyed girl. Sometimes, she envied her sister and how she always seemed to have something to occupy her time with. Every now and then, Tenma would invite her to go with her and her friends but almost always, Yakumo was either at school or stuck at home to clean. This quite clearly explained why her grades were this good. She had no life.

"Yakumo! My show is over! I gotta take a bath too!" Tenma yelled from the other side of the door.

Sighing, Yakumo quickly washed up and exited the bath. Once dressed in her simple cotton pajamas, she left the bathroom and headed downstairs to make dinner. She wanted to make stew tonight and that would take at least an hour if she wanted it to taste really good. When she was satisfied with the flavor, Yakumo put two bowls of it on the table and went to make another pot of tea.

"Mmmm. That smells great Yakumo." Tenma said appreciatively. "I love stew."

Yakumo smiled and handed her sister a tea cup full of fresh lemon tea. "Here you go."

Tenma grinned. "You make the best tea. No wonder the Tea Club wanted you to join."

Yakumo's smile turned into a grimace. "Actually, the tea club was abolished. The school cut funding for it."

Tenma frowned. "That's terrible! I'm so sorry."

"I don't mind. Takano senpai and Sarah both joined a new club so I don't think they mind either."

"Akira? Oh yeah! When I was leaving school, there was a girl handing out these flyers right outside of the room the girls were trying on kimonos in. It's for a new club. Maybe Akira has something to do with it."

Tenma ran from the table and came back a few seconds later with a paper in hand. She handed it to Yakumo before looking at the paper over her shoulder. It was clear that Takano senpai had done a lot to bring the Hostess Club into view, even before telling Sarah and herself that the Tea Club was ending. The flyer was pale pink with lavender writing. At the bottom of the paper was a little drawing of a Geisha pouring tea at a table.

"What's a Hostess Club?" Tenma asked.

"It's a group of girls who display arts. Like singing and dancing. It's sort of a knock-off of how a Geisha makes a living." Yakumo told her. It was also a more traditional Hostess Club. Any club bearing a similar name would probably not be as formal.

Tenma blinked before smiling. "I want to join that! It would be so much fun to wear a kimono and dance around and it says here that the clientele are boys from school."

"They're having interviews all this week and then auditions on Sunday." Yakumo told her sister, her finger pointing to the part of the flyer that said so. "If you're interested in it, then I support you one hundred percent."

Tenma smiled with dreamy eyes. "Wouldn't it be cool if Karasuma came to watch me dance? Then he'd pull me off the stage and sweep me into his arms and say 'Tenma... I've loved you forever and now I finally have the courage to tell you.'..."

Yakumo couldn't help but smile at her sister's fantasy. She really did wish her the best of luck. It would be wonderful if Tenma were to end up with the boy of her dreams. Hearing her sister go on and on about Karasuma, it made Yakumo think of who she would want to watch her dance, were she to ever decide to join the club. She blushed and shook her head when Harima entered her mind.

"You should join too Yakumo!" Tenma said excitedly. "We could audition together and if either one of us makes it, we'll support the other as a hostess."

Surprised, Yakumo shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't. I need to be home after school. There's cleaning and cooking to do. Plus what if Lori starts acting out and breaks stuff when we don't arrive home on time to feed him."

Tenma sighed dramatically. "Lori can handle himself. Just put extra food in his bowl before leaving for school. So please please please audition with me! I'm too much of a chicken to do it by myself."

Yakumo looked at her sister's hopeful face. Feeling herself give in, she smiled slightly. "Well, even if I audition, there's no promise I'll get in. So if it will help you, I guess I'll try."

"I wonder if Akira made the Hostess Club." Tenma wondered idly.

Yakumo knew but didn't say so, figuring that Takano senpai herself would tell her friend. After the two had eaten and done the dishes, they brushed their teeth and went to their separate bedrooms. Nervous about the idea of auditioning in front of an audience, Yakumo had restless dreams.

The following morning, Yakumo was at school earlier than usual. Tenma had woken up on time for once, excited about the Hostess Club, and had drug Yakumo with her to the club's interview process. They were currently holding interviews before and after school for the rest of the week. When the girls arrived outside of the old Beauty Club club room, they were shocked to find a very big group of girls inside the doors. There had to be at least fifty. Each were sitting in one of the many chairs that had been set up.

"Please take a seat! We'll begin explaining the syllabus in just a few minutes!" The two heard Eri, Tenma's friend, say. Eri was the president of the school's former Beauty Club. So obviously, she would also be running the Hostess Club with Akira. The two sisters took a seat in the middle of the rows of seats and waited for everything to begin.

When everyone refused to sit and listen, Akira gracefully walked up to the microphone at the front of the classroom, her dark green kimono very striking against her pale skin. "Sit and shut up." She said in such an ominous voice, it caused the entire room to grow silent. As the girls all finally sat in their seats, Akira stepped out of the way so that Eri could take the microphone.

Giving a smile that could only be found on the cover of a magazine, Eri cleared her throat discretely. "Welcome everyone to the first interview day of the Hostess Club. The Hostess Club is very new and is a combination of the Tea Club and the Beauty Club. In this club, you will learn to dance, sing, play traditional instruments, learn the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony and learn to entertain clientele!"

The girls in the audience began to quietly chatter in excitement. One look from Akira made the room go silent as the grave once again. Taking the microphone, Akira began her own speech. "Don't think that this club is some sort of walk in the park though. For those of you that make it into the club, you will be put under intensive training. You will bleed, you will lose your voice, you will want to run home to mommy every single day-"

Eri took the microphone. "I think that's enough Akira. You're frightening them. Something you all need to know is this is a difficult club to get into and an even more difficult club to stay in. It will be hard work and you will feel discouraged. But at the end of the day, I can promise you all that you'll feel a sense of accomplishment you've never felt before. This is a club where skill is needed to survive."

With a reluctant look on her face, Eri gave the microphone back to Akira. "The interview process will be held all week long. You will each get to spend five minutes being questioned and then asked to do a few simple exercises to prove your abilities in dance and song. If you pass the interview process, you'll be permitted to audition. Even those who were already in the Tea and Beauty Clubs have to audition. Only ten of you will successfully make it into the Hostess Club. Any questions?"

A girl to Yakumo's left raised her hand. "Yes, I have one. If we were to make it into the club, how much time would this club take up?"

Eri took the microphone. "Most days, it would take up about an hour to an hour and a half. On occasion, we'll hold meetings at night that will last until possibly nine to ten at night but most days should only last till five to six. The Hostess Club will throw a lot of parties."

This sent the girls into another chatter fest. Feeling as if they had properly explained everything, Eri and Akira began to pass out a list of interview times for people to sign their names on. When the list was finally handed to Yakumo, she put her name on a slot and handed it to her sister. Her interview time would be tomorrow, right after school.

"This is so exciting!" Tenma squealed. "And since the two presidents are my best friends, they're sure to give me a spot in the club!"

"Well, that's not very fair Tenma. What makes you think we'll do that?" Eri suddenly asked. She had walked over to where the girls were sitting as everyone began to file out of the room. "We don't pick favorites. Only those that are talented enough can make it into the club."

Tenma began to whine. "But I'm your friend Eriiiiiii! You're supposed to let me innnnnn!"

"Tenma." Akira suddenly appeared. "If you work hard, I'm sure you'll be fine. I can almost promise you a spot on the audition list but there is absolutely no way I can promise you a spot in the club without seeing your audition."

"How many people are going to be allowed to audition?" Tenma asked.

"As many as we see fit. We have a scoring system. If you score a six or higher, we allow you to audition." Eri told her. "Now let's get going. Class starts soon."

Yakumo and Tenma stood up and exited the classroom with Tenma's friends. Parting ways with the third year girls, Yakumo went to her own class. Waiting for her at the door was Sarah. "Yakumo, I saw you at the meeting this morning. Are you considering joining?"

"I'm auditioning for my sister. Even if I make it, I'll decline. Plus, I have no experience in any of the categories they judge us in. I'll never make it in."

"And your sister thinks she will?" Sarah asked.

Yakumo nodded. "I know she will. She sings and dances all the time at home. This is something she's passionate about."

"But you love to dance too." Sarah said as they took their seats.

Yakumo blushed, remembering the last sleepover she had at Sarah's house. The two had put on some upbeat music and started to dance. At first, Yakumo had been shy and tentative in her movements. By the end of the second song, she was swaying around like she was a backup dancer on stage. It wasn't natural for her. She's always preferred dancing slower and more traditionally. "Even so, I could never dance in front of an audience. Or sing for that matter."

Sarah shrugged. "I still think you'd be an amazing hostess. Promise me you'll consider staying if you pass the audition."

Yakumo looked down, embarrassed. "I don't know..."

"I'm not saying to give me a yes right away. All I want you to do is consider it." Sarah explained. When Yakumo finally nodded, the two faced the front and brought out their notebooks for the start of class.

At the end of the day, Yakumo had already heard several people mention the new Hostess Club. Kyosuke Imadori, another one of Tenma's classmates, was walking down the hall with a few of his friends, his smile bright. "I can't wait for the club to open. Imagine it. A room full of flirty girls that don't get mad when you hit on them. I bet I can even get one of them to go on a date with me."

"Don't be so sure." One of his friends said. "I hear that Hostess club girls are just a bunch of prudes. They'll flirt, yeah, but none of them will spend time with you out of the club. A friend of mine at Ichijiku High says they have one there too."

"My dad was invited to a tea house for a bachelor party once. He took me with him because the babysitter had to cancel." Another boy said who she thought was named Nara. "There was a Geisha entertaining and the entire time, all she did was talk and play drinking games with my dad and his friends. She didn't really flirt."

"But Hostess Clubs are different." A large boy explained who strongly resembled Buddha. "Hostess girls attempt to mirror the personalities and mannerisms of Geisha but in the end, are much more lax and a lot more flirtatious. If we select the right hostess, there's a chance she'll agree to an out of club date if we pay enough."

"You mean I could get a date with Eri?" Imadori asked excitedly. "Nah...Princess would never go out with anyone. Not for all the money in the world. She's rich anyway."

The boys sighed before walking to their lockers. When she was about to go into the locker area to grab her shoes, her sister stopped her. Tenma was bouncing up and down in excitement. "My interview is in a few minutes! Wish me luck!"

Yakumo smiled and hugged her sister. "Good luck sis. I'll make some curry for supper tonight to celebrate your interview."

"Will you please stay outside the class while my interview goes on? I'm nervous." Tenma begged. Agreeing almost right away, Yakumo let her sister drag her back to the Hostess Club room. Sitting on one of the fold-out chairs outside the room, Tenma watched her sister walk into the room with her head held high.

She could hear murmuring inside the room but couldn't make out anything they were saying. Finally, she heard her sister begin to sing. Tenma belted out the song 'Butterfly' like her life depended on it. Yakumo winced when Tenma hit an octave higher than her voice could handle. Not even ten seconds into her song, Yakumo heard Eri yell at her to stop.

A few seconds later, Yakumo heard tapping inside the room. Upon listening closer, she realized her sister was tap dancing. Clasping her hands together, she prayed her sister was allowed to continue on to the audition process.

"You call that dancing?! Wow, Tenma. I at least figured you could manage a simple side shuffle and full body turn. I didn't even tell you to tap dance!" Eri yelled again.

"Oh please, oh please, oh please...let me audition. I swear if you let me, I'll be ten times better that day!"

Yakumo heard Tenma's friends mumble. Finally, she heard a third voice. "This is pathetic. You're only considering passing her cause she's your friend. If I were president, I would've booted her out of the room already."

Who was talking? The voice didn't sound familiar at all. Akira finally spoke up, her voice carrying, for once, all the way to the hall. "While I agree that Tenma's interview went poorly, I'll give her my vote to go on to the audition round as long as she promises to bring all she's got to the table that day. I want an amazing audition."

After a few more seconds, Tenma screamed. "THANK YOU SO MUCH! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN!"

Tenma darted from the room and started to dance around the hallway, a big grin on her face. Yakumo didn't miss the unfamiliar voice's next comment. "What have you gotten us into? If you end up letting her in cause she's your friend, she'll ruin the club. Remember, this club's true intention can only remain a secret if you only let in the trustworthy ones. Tenma Tsukamoto couldn't keep a secret if the world depended on it."

Eri sighed. "Relax. We won't let her in."

"Have you made up your mind on which guys can be allowed to find out the true meaning of the club?" The unfamiliar voice asked.

"It's not an easy list to make." Akira said. "Many of the boys and even some of the men in this school would keep it a secret, just for the sake of keeping the club alive and at their disposal. We need to figure out who they are and inform them of the true meaning in a discrete manner. Maybe during candy gram week. I have a plan."

"What about Harima?" Eri asked. "Think he can be trusted? He's such a delinquent, he can definitely be added to the list. Plus we might be able to use him as a bouncer at some point."

"I see no problem with that." Akira said. At that point, Tenma called Yakumo over, ending her eavesdropping.

On the way home, Yakumo was a nervous wreck. How could she tell her sister that, no matter how hard she worked, the club would refuse to let her in? Maybe the only thing she could do is let things go as planned. That way, Tenma would never have her feelings hurt by her friends. She'd just assume she didn't make it for the same reasons many of the other girls wouldn't.

"I can't wait for Sunday!" Tenma said once again. "Your interview is tomorrow, right? I hope you get to audition too!"

Yakumo sighed and tried to give her the most convincing smile she could. "Me too."

**HOW WAS IT? I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. IT'S STILL A WORKING PROGRESS. **


	2. Chapter 2

**HERE'S THE SECOND CHAPTER! HOPE YOU ENJOY! :D**

**Chapter 2**

General POV:

"Come in." Akira said firmly from the other side of the sliding door. Nervous as heck, Yakumo opened the door and walked into the room slowly. "Shut the door."

Doing as she was told, Yakumo then went to take a seat across from the judges at the long brown table. Today was her interview and she couldn't feel more uneasy even if Hanai were to suddenly appear out of thin air. "Yakumo Tsukamoto?" A girl with very long, dark red hair and deep blue eyes asked. So this is the unfamiliar voice she heard yesterday.

Yakumo nodded. "Yes ma'am."

The red head stood up and flipped a piece of her hair over her shoulder. "My name is Maki Matsumoto. I'm the third in command for the hostess club. I'm aware that you already know who Akira and Eri are."

"Yes ma'am." Yakumo repeated.

"We'll start right away." She said. "I want you to start off by answering a few questions. No matter what the question, I want an honest answer." When Yakumo nodded, Maki Matsumoto finally began. "What year are you in?"

"My second year." She answered.

"How tall are you and how much do you weigh?"

This question took her off guard. Why did they need to know that? "A hundred and sixty-two centimeters and I weigh fifty kilograms."

The girl nodded while Akira appeared to be writing down her answers. "Alright, before we begin the singing and dancing portion, tell me this. If your best friend broke a plate in a shop and you didn't have the money to pay for it and you know she'd get arrested if you tattled on her, would you allow her to quickly leave the store before the clerk found her or would you tell her to stay and confess?"

This question really confused Yakumo. "Um... She would go to jail?"

The three girls nodded, their faces solemn. She imagined Sarah accidentally breaking a plate. Both girls would be very scared of getting in trouble. If it were Yakumo who broke it, she knew that Sarah wouldn't want her to go to jail over it. Yakumo knew that if it were to come down to something like that, she would go up front herself and take the blame.

"I...I believe in that situation, I would allow my best friend to leave and take responsibility myself. But I know my best friend would never ask that of me."

They all smiled slightly, seemingly pleased by her answer. Eri smiled. "Alright then. We want you to sing a short expert of a song. Any song."

Nervous, Yakumo tried to remember the words to the song she had briefly practiced last night. Taking a deep breath, she began. About fifteen seconds into her song, Akira held up a hand, signaling her to stop. Shutting her mouth, she waited nervously for her next instructions. "And now..." Akira said. "...we want you to dance. Follow Miss. Maki's lead."

Miss. Maki motioned for Yakumo to stand up. Following her to the middle of the room, Miss. Maki began by placing both arms out to the same side, a slight curve in her hip and her head tilted. Mirroring her pose, Yakumo began to slowly sway alongside Miss. Maki. When Miss. Maki put both arms in the air with a slight curve to her elbows and spun in a circle, Yakumo did as well and finished the spin off with a slow, outward arm swing. This caused Miss. Maki to pause.

"She's very graceful." She complimented, her eyes going to Akira and Eri. "I think she'd be an asset."

Akira lifted up a yellow paper with some random information jotted on it. "Show up Sunday afternoon at three fifteen for your audition. Bring this ticket. All of those auditioning will be told to wait in the room next door to this one."

Yakumo stared at the ticket in surprise. She made it?

"Well, take it." Akira complained. Blushing, Yakumo rushed up and took the ticket. With a low bow to the girls, she exited the room, amazed with the final outcome.

"How did you do?" Tenma asked excitedly when she met her sister in the locker room.

Yakumo changed into her street shoes before showing her the ticket. "I have an audition."

Tenma squealed. "This is so great! Wouldn't it be awesome if we both made it?"

Yakumo tried her best not to grimace. She wished she could tell her sister that there was no way she'd make it in but it might cause Tenma to lose some friends if she were to tell her. Walking out the door with her sister, she thought over the interview process. "Um... What questions did they ask you yesterday?"

Tenma seemed thoughtful. "Hmm... They asked me my year, height, my weight and... Oh, and a weird question. They wanted to know what I'd do if my sister broke something and we didn't have the money to pay for it. If I'd take the blame or ask you to do what's right and confess."

"What did you say?" Yakumo asked.

Tenma grinned. "Well, I told them that that's happened before, but it was me that broke the plate. I told them that I was so scared I fainted to you told clerk that you broke it. Then the meanie redheaded girl glared at me and told Akira and Eri not to give me an audition."

Looking to the ground, Yakumo wished she could convince the club managers to let Tenma join. She knew that if given the chance, she'd be great. "I really hope you make it sis."

Tenma looked totally blissful as they walked home. Totally sure that she'd make it into the club. At the house, both girls got to work on what chores needed to be done. Fixing up a quick dinner, Yakumo and her sister ate in the front room while Tenma watched a special premiere episode of Three For The Kill.

"I think I know what I want to do for my audition." Tenma said after a while. "What if, as I danced, I added some kung fu moves?"

Yakumo smiled at her sister's creativity. "But if one of us doesn't get in, maybe the other should also withdraw."

Tenma shook her head, her little side pigtails swaying. "No no no. The other should be supportive. Even if I were to not make it, I'd be upset if you quit the club just because of me. If it's something you're interested in, go for it."

The guilt at knowing that Tenma would not make it caused Yakumo to lose her appetite. Taking her half finished plate into the kitchen, she washed it along with the pan and utensils, and then went upstairs to take a long bath. 'Oh sis... Please don't be too upset.' As she soaked in the hot water, one particular thought entered her mind. The conversation she overheard after Tenma's audition. The three girls mentioned something called 'the true meaning of the club'. What was the true meaning?

Getting out of the tub, Yakumo wrapped a big pink towel around herself and exited the bathroom. By Sunday, she'd need to have a routine prepared. According to her ticket, the dance had to represent traditional dance, much like that of a Geisha. Putting on some pajamas, she sat at her desk in her room and looked up some dance videos. Finding one in particular she liked, she did her best to imitate it.

By ten at night, Tenma was asleep in her room and Yakumo was still practicing. Finally giving up, she went to brush her teeth before crawling into bed. Maybe... Maybe if Yakumo helped Tenma learn an incredible dance for the audition, they'd reconsider. Smiling at her new idea, Yakumo slept peacefully that night.

"Let's practice our dances for the audition sis." Yakumo offered after school the following day. When the girls arrived home, they changed into proper dance wear and moved the table aside in the living room. "I did some research last night and I want to help you put together a dance."

Tenma, excited at the possibility of learning a great dance, sat on the floor and watched Yakumo perform a few basic moves. Tenma stood after a few seconds and tried to imitate the moves without much luck. "I can't do it." Tenma said with teary eyes.

"Try again. When you go to turn, try turning on your strongest foot and use your other foot as the anchor. And remember not to lift your foot too high. It's not ballet."

Tenma nodded and tried the turn again, this time successfully. She was so happy with her turn that she began to do the same turn over and over and over, reminding Yakumo of an overzealous ballerina. As Yakumo watched her sister swing her arms like noodles, she taught her how to lock her arms when swinging them instead.

"This is so much fun!" Tenma squealed in excitement while punching the air in front of her. "I am so gonna get into this club!"

They girls spent the rest of the afternoon dancing. After dinner, Yakumo helped Tenma with her homework before going upstairs to do some more dance research. This time, she found a video of someone dancing with two hand fans as props. Intrigued, she dug two mismatched fans from her closet and attempted to do some of the moves she had just learned from last night's videos, only with a fan.

She was surprised when she realized that she very much enjoyed dancing. Remembering that she'd also need to rehearse a thirty second song to perform before her dance, she also looked up a few ballad pieces. She preferred slower songs to more upbeat songs and she figured she'd be better off auditioning with a song that flowed more since her dance was done to a ballad song as well.

"What is it that you're doing?" She heard a voice say. Startled, she turned around quickly. There stood the ghost of the dark haired girl in the white dress. A ghost that had visited her many times before. The last time she visited, she confronted her on her feelings for Harima. But what were Yakumo's true feelings?

"I'm, uh... rehearsing for an audition." She confessed.

The ebony haired ghost stared her down with emotionless eyes. "Why is it that you choose this way to gain his affections? You didn't want to do this at first. Even when your sister convinced you to, you planned to either throw the audition or refuse if you were accepted. But ever since you learned that Harima will be a patron of the club, you've been putting an awful amount of focus into the audition."

Eyes widened in shock, Yakumo shook her head. "That's not true. I told you before, I don't love Harima. I'm doing this for my sister."

"Then what will you do once she is denied and you are accepted? Will you stay or will you honor your sister and resign?" The ghost peered into her eyes with a look that made Yakumo feel as if she could see into her very soul. "Will you give up something you love for your sister? Even if I told you that you will gain Harima's affections this way?"

Yakumo had a brief moment of euphoria but it quickly faded as the seriousness of the situation fell upon her. "My sister wants me to accept if they offer me a place in the club, even if she is not accepted."

The ghost began to smirk. "Then so be it. This path will eventually lead you to the man you are destined to be with. Thought I cannot tell you if that man is Harima, I know it will be clear to you soon enough."

The ghost vanished in a blast of light, causing Yakumo to faint. As she lay unconscious on the floor, she dreamed of walking onto a brightly lit stage, the faces of her fellow school mates as her audience. She was able to spot her sister and even Harima in the audience. At the judge's table, Akira, Eri and Maki were waiting to critique her. Surprisingly, Harima stood and walked to the foot of the stage. Looking up at her, he reached out a hand.

As Yakumo began to reach for him, she felt someone grab her from behind. This person's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to them. She didn't feel frightened by the mystery person holding her. She felt safe and happy. Before she could turn and look at their face, she woke up. Blinking, she was surprised to find that she wasn't in her bed, but rather on the floor. Sitting up slowly, she grabbed her head and winced. Headache...

Looking at her alarm clock, she realized that she had woken up fifteen minutes before she needed to. Feeling as if there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep, she got up and went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom to hunt down some pain killers. When the pain was nothing more than a dull ache behind her forehead, Yakumo went to wake up her sister.

"Yakumo! Wait up!" Tenma called as the two left the house an hour later. Yakumo quickly stopped, allowing her sister to catch up. She had been so distracted since she woke that she barely had a moment to make sure her sister got something to eat before the two left. She felt as if her stomach would explode if she ate anything. The visit of that dark haired ghost had caused somewhat of a disturbance in Yakumo's heart. She now felt positive that the ghost was telling her that she would definitely make it into the club. But if that was the case, then that meant Tenma wouldn't.

"Maybe we shouldn't audition at all." Yakumo tried to convince her sister. "We could just join another club. I hear the gardening club has openings."

Tenma shook her head quickly. "We tried that, remember? I got stung by bees the whole time."

Yakumo sighed. "Yes...Nevermind then."

"Besides, I really want to join this club. I'd be a great dancer!"

"Have you practiced a thirty second song?" Yakumo asked. Tenma stared back at her blankly as they walked.

"What song?" She asked, confused.

"We have to have a song ready too. Thirty seconds to sing, a minute to dance and thirty seconds to prepare once we enter the room. Our entire audition only lasts two minutes."

Tenma began to panic. "Oh man! That means I only have a few days to get something prepared!"

"It's okay sis. We can look up songs together after school. We'll both be ready." She assured her.

And so for the remainder of the week, Yakumo worked to the best of her ability, trying to prepare Tenma. On Sunday, the two girls got up later than usual, considering that their audition wasn't until the afternoon, they both took time eating and choosing an outfit to wear before practicing a little more in the front room.

At two thirty, the girls both walked to the school together. When they arrived at the room they were told to wait in, they found it difficult to even get through the door. The medium sized room was holding twenty-seven auditioners and their support teams. Even Imadori was there. He was currently trying to flirt with Laura. Laura only glared and punched him in the face. Yakumo couldn't believe that someone like Laura could be interested in this sort of thing.

"Now ladies. I wish you all the best of luck." Imadori shouted. "If you don't make it, don't be too upset. I'll let you all dance for me any day."

Almost every girl in the room began to glare at him. After he was literally kicked out the door of the room, everyone began to show their nerves. Even Tenma looked like she was on the verge of throwing up. Yakumo knew Tenma had her audition right before her. Giving Tenma a big hug, she smiled. "You can do it sis. I know you'll be great. Just remember all we learned."

Tenma gulped and nodded, a nervous smile on her face. "Here I go."

Following the girl who had just called her name out of the room, Tenma was escorted next door for her audition. "I can't do this!" One girl shouted, her face a little green.

One girl thankfully opened the window and pushed the girl's head out of it so that she could get some air. A minute later, the girl pulled her head back in. "Are you feeling any better?" Someone asked her.

She nodded and smiled. "That really helped. I guess it's just too hot in here with so many people. Let's open all the windows."

When all the windows were opened, the early Spring air was let in, causing Yakumo's own sickness to fade. Tenma walked in then, her face showing just how nervous she was. "How did it go?" Yakumo asked her.

"It was so nerve racking!" She complained as the door slid open. The girl who had been assisting the club had a clipboard in hand and was scanning the room.

"Yakumo Tsukamoto. You're up." She called. She gave her sister a smile before following the assistant from the room. "When you go in, give your name, your year and the name of the songs you will sing and dance to."

The assistant opened the door and Yakumo walked in with her CD in hand. Walking directly on stage, she placed her CD in the available player and faced the front. "My name is Yakumo Tsukamoto and I am a second year. I will first sing to 'The Light In Your Eyes' and will then dance to 'Sakura Of The Valley'.

The three judges were her only audience. Even the assistant exited the room for her audition. Taking a deep breath, she pressed play and waited. When the music began to play, she sang softly at first. As the song continued, she was able to raise her voice up to a decent volume.

At thirty seconds, she stopped the CD and clicked the next button. Taking her beginning stance, she waited for the song to begin. Finding a comfortable place in her mind to dwell, she tried to forget her audience. Her legs almost became wobbly if she knew she was being watched while dancing. As the music played, Yakumo swayed and turned fluidly. At the end of her dance, she could have sworn that the red headed judge had been smirking.

Yakumo retrieved her CD and bowed her head before leaving the room. The assistant escorted her back before taking another girl to the next room. "Yakumo! How was it?" Sarah asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"It was quite... unreal." Yakumo finally said. She couldn't quite say nerve racking. When she found that comfortable place in her mind, she tended to feel nothing but the emotion she pushed into her dance.

"I loved the adrenaline." Sarah confessed with a smile. "I normally don't do stuff like that. Auditioning... it just gives you something to hope for."

Yakumo truly agreed. "When will we know if we made it?" She asked her friend.

"There will be a list posted tomorrow morning on the club room door." Sarah told her. "I gotta get going. I was supposed to leave right after my audition."

Giving Sarah a hug, Yakumo went to find her sister. Tenma was quick to run for her sister. Giving her a big hug, the two smiled at eachother, both anxious for the results. Was the dance and song that Yakumo taught Tenma enough to cause the club to let her in? She certainly hoped so.

The two sisters bought bottles of water from some vending machines before leaving the school. "We'll know of the results before school tomorrow." Yakumo told her sister. "I really hope you made it."

"I really hope we both made it." Tenma replied. "We should get dressed in some nice clothes and go out to eat tonight. Celebrate and all. I'm positive we both made it. When I finished my dance, Eri actually smiled."

Yakumo was pleased to hear this. Agreeing to go out to eat, she and her sister arrived home and changed clothes before walking to a nice sushi shop near their house.


	3. Chapter 3

**HERE'S CHAPTER THREE. :) HOPE YOU ENJOY.**

**DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER ONE.**

**Chapter Three**

General POV:

The following morning, the Tsukamoto sisters walked through the doors of their high school and went to put on their school shoes. Shutting their lockers, they walked through the halls to the club room. There was already a large crowd of people staring at it.

"I made it! I made it!" Yakumo heard a girl scream. Tenma was quick to fight through the crowd, dragging Yakumo by the wrist. Being shorter than her sister, Tenma couldn't quite see the list.

When the two finally made it to the front, Yakumo's eyes quickly scanned the simple white paper with ten names on it. She suddenly spotted the last name Tsukamoto. One of them made it! As her eyes looked to the first name, she felt her heart sink. The only Tsukamoto on this list was Yakumo herself.

Looking to her sister, she saw a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. "I...didn't make it."

Yakumo briefly felt angry with the Hostess Club for disappointing her sister this way. "I'm so sorry sis. Just say the word and I'll tell them I don't want to join."

Tenma shook her head quickly. "No! I'm happy you made it. Please don't quit on account of me. What kind of big sis would I be if I asked you to?"

Yakumo felt very torn. Part of her was very happy to have been accepted. Another part wanted her sister to be the one with her name on the list. She doubted they'd allow her to give up her place for any specific girl. They probably already had a replacement list. "Are you sure? I mean, absolutely sure."

Tenma nodded and smiled brightly. "Absolutely. It's not like I'm the only person I know who didn't make it in. Mikoto isn't a member either. She didn't even audition."

"Yakumo!" She heard Sarah call. Turning in the direction of her voice, she found Sarah fighting her way through the crowd of either smiling or crying girls. "We both made it!"

Yakumo smiled. "You made it too?"

"Yes! Here, this is a packet for you. I told Takano senpai that I'd give it to you."

"Thank you." Accepting the ten by twelve envelope with her name and year printed on it, Yakumo left the crowd with her friend and headed for class. The two girls sat together and opened their packets.

Included in the envelope was a letter of acceptance, a pamphlet explaining what they would be doing for the first month of the club, a list of videos that the club recommended she watch for research purposes and a list of times to meet for the remainder of the semester.

"There's a meeting tonight?" Yakumo asked in surprise. "But I haven't had time to make sure sis will have plenty of food at the house. Oh but this meeting only lasts an hour."

"Don't worry, Tenma's a big girl. She can handle herself." Sarah assured her friend.

"She can be so careless sometimes... I'm afraid she'll end up burning what she cooks and then she won't get a good meal."

Sarah put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Please relax. If you're this worried, maybe she can order out tonight? The meeting will only last until four fifteen. Not that much time. Dinner isn't until seven at your house, right?"

Yakumo was a little more relaxed with her friend's reassurance. Now that she felt a little better about her sister, the fact still stood that she had made it into the club. She was officially a hostess. What would this mean? Would everyone start approaching her in school after today to ask questions?

"I knew you would get picked to be in the Hostess Club." She heard someone say. Turning around, she saw a tall girl with long, blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Eyes just like the red head from the Hostess Club judging panel. The thing about this girl that really stood out was that she was flawless. From her perfectly mussed hair to her makeup to her hourglass figure. She was a creature to behold. The only thing that didn't look perfectly in place was the scowl she was giving Yakumo.

"Hello." Yakumo said meekly, not sure how to handle the girl that was towering over her. "Are you a new member too?"

The scowl on her face seemed to worsen. "I'm a veteran member of the Beauty Club. I was at the top of the list for the Hostess Club."

She tried to fathom why this girl was standing over her, telling her this. She looked so hostile, it made Yakumo internally flinch. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yakumo Tsukamoto."

The blonde didn't attempt to give her name. She gave Yakumo and even Sarah one last intimidating glare before turning on her heel and walking out of the room. When she was long gone, Yakumo sunk in her seat a little. "Who was she..." Yakumo whispered to Sarah.

Sarah looked a little unsettled herself. "Yumi Matsumoto. She's the half sister of Maki, the red head who was judging us. Takano senpai told me about her."

"Why did she confront us that way?" Yakumo asked, her face slightly pale.

"Takano senpai told me that the Matsumoto sisters have always been part of the beauty club since it was invented three years ago. They're very serious about it. When new members enter, they usually try to intimidate them into quiting the club. It's how they knock out the competition for all of the beauty pageants the club would have. Now that the Hostess Club is opening its doors-"

"Yumi is afraid that she'll have trouble keeping patrons because she has you as competition." She heard the voice of Takano senpai. Turning around, Yakumo saw the dark haired third year was standing behind her. When did she get here? Even Sarah looked taken off guard. "Maki isn't as keen to confront her competition but she's still pretty lethal."

"Lethal?" Yakumo asked, slight fear coloring her tone.

Takano senpai gave the girl her version of a reassuring look. "Don't worry. As long as you don't confront her, you'll be fine. For now."

Without waiting for a response, Takano left the classroom. A minute later, the bell rang.

After the final school bell rang, Yakumo was on pins and needles. Shooting from her seat, she and Sarah hurriedly left their classroom and headed for the club room. Opening the door, they were surprised to see that all the chairs had been moved from the room and traditional Japanese tables, surrounded by cushions, were now in their place. Rice paper lined the walls of this class room as well and tatami mats had been placed throughout. A shrine in the corner and a small stage gave the room a look that reminded Yakumo of a tea house.

"Oh wow." Sarah whispered. Before she could even take a step in the crowded room, someone grabbed her hand along with Yakumo's.

"Come on, we need to fit you with kimonos before the meeting starts." The club's assistant told them.

The girls were taken to a side room, that was done up traditionally as well, where many girls were already sorting through box after box of kimono. All of the kimono that the girls were putting on were simple light pink ones with red and pink flowers and simple red obis. Each girl was handed a kimono, obi, a red under robe and a pair of white tabi socks before being left to dress.

"Is this our uniform?" Yakumo asked curiously.

"I guess so." Sarah said with a shrug.

The two girls dressed quickly and helped one another tie their obis. When each were ready, they put their clothes in their school bags and sat their bags against the right wall near the door. Following the other girls back into the main room, everyone took a seat on the cushions at the various tables and faced the stage. Kneeling on the stage was Takano senpai and Eri san. Each were in their own unique kimono. Takano senpai in a dark blue one and Eri san in a pale blue one. Both wore white obis and had white under robes poking from the collar of their kimono.

"Settle down." Takano senpai ordered and the room did as she instructed. "From this day on, you will call me mother. I am your chief instructor and before doing anything as it pertains to the club, you must either ask my permission or Eri's."

Eri shifted a little so that her shoulders were squared and her head was held high. "Likewise, you will call me Eri sama. I am the second in command and what I say goes as well. I want to take the time to congratulate the ones who made it this far. There are only ten of you and that in itself should show how special your placement in this club is. If you break a rule, you will be put on probation. Break a rule twice and you will immediately be banned from the club and another girl on the long waiting list will take your place."

The girl who had assisted during yesterday's auditions suddenly appeared with papers to pass out. When Yakumo finally received one, she read over a list of club rules.

_1 Honor this club. Do not disrespect the club verbally and stand up for it when possible._

_2 Always be prepared. If an event is coming up, be ready for it in every way. If you show up unprepared, it's proof to us that you do not take the club seriously._

_3 Respect your elders. There are several people who rank above you. If you do not show them the proper respect, you will answer for it._

_4 The things that go on inside this club are to always remain secret. Information passed on to you must be taken to your grave._

_5 If an order is given to you, you must obey it, no matter what it is._

_Failure to follow any of these rules will result in probation. Future violation of any rule will result in expulsion from the club. You are a Hostess, a shining example of what a young lady ought to be, and you must act as such._

"Before another word is spoken, you must all sign a confidentiality agreement. There should be a stack of them sitting on each table. Please sign them now." Takano-, er, mother instructed.

Each girl in the audience seemed a little uneasy as they signed the papers. Even Yakumo felt a sudden weight on her shoulders. She knew her sister would be curious about what happened at the club and it upset her that she would have to keep it from her. When the confidentiality agreement forms were given to mother, she stood effortlessly in her heavy looking blue kimono.

"Our first lesson today is in posture. Look at the way you're all sitting. It's pitiful." Mother walked away from the low rising stage and stood next to a girl who looked like she was sitting perfectly. Mother lifted her kimono slightly and used her tabi sock covered foot to nudge her. The girl wobbled for a second before leaning to the side and catching herself on the edge of the table. "Your back must be straight as a rod and your body must be perfectly balanced on your legs. If you focus too much weight on one side, you will fall."

The room of girls did their best to sit properly. Mother walked throughout the room and took the time to try and tip over each girl with her foot. When everyone successfully remained balanced, she seemed please. "Now stand." She ordered.

Everyone did their best to rise in the constricting clothing without looking stupid. When one girl actually fell backwards onto a cushion, Mother took her pillow from the stage and placed it on the floor in front of the tables before instructing everyone on how to kneel and then how to sit. When they all successfully mirrored her actions, she actually gave a slight smile.

"We picked a room of gems, didn't we mother?" Eri sama said, her golden brown eyes glowing as she stood. Her hair, which was usually done up in pigtails, was now tied back in a wrap bun and was adorned with little blue flowers.

"They're all quick learners, yes. We may be able to hold our first event in two weeks. For the Beauty Club veterans that is. They already have experience in singing and dancing and it will be less of a chore to teach them." Looking everyone square in the eyes, mother made sure they were all listening before speaking. "You are all currently in the apprentice stage. You will only rank up to full Hostess after receiving at least a minimum of a four star rating by your customers a minimum of twenty times and earning a request rate of at least ten percent. It may sound easy but it truly is not. It will most likely take you at least three months before this happens, if it happens. It is up to you to make sure you are well liked. You will not be alone in this, of course. Aside from Eri and myself, there are two veteran Beauty Club members who we have trusted to train you."

At that mention, two girls stood and walked to the front. Yakumo's eyes widened. It was Maki and Yumi Matsumoto. They knelt on the tatami matted floor and bowed elegantly to their teachers before bowing to the students as well. The Matsumoto sisters really were lovely. The way they moved and the way they seemed to hold themselves oozed with confidence and elegance. Though they both were beautiful, it was easy to tell that Maki, the red head, was the more striking of the two. When we had all attempted to bow back the way they did, mother turned her head towards the door. "There is one more person yet to be introduced."

The door suddenly slid open to reveal Itoko Osakabe. Said physics teacher glided into the room with her lab coat on her back and a stone-cold expression on her face. "Do what you want. I'm just supervising."

She took a seat on the edge of the stage instead of taking a seat on a cushion. Crossing her legs, she took out her cellphone and started to mess with different applications on it. Yakumo had wondered who was going to be supervising the newest school club and, even more so, she wondered if Miss. Osakabe knew about what mother, Eri sama and Maki san called 'the true meaning of the club'.

"We only have another fifteen minutes. You're all free to take this time to change back into your school uniforms." Mother told the new members. "There will be another meeting tomorrow that will last until four thirty. Be on time and you all must bring two matching fans. We haven't received our shipment of them yet. Go now."

Yakumo and Sarah stood and quickly walked back into the side room, both still a little unsure of what exactly a Hostess was. You would think that they would have explained it better. So far, the only thing Yakumo knew how to do was sit and stand in a kimono without looking stupid.

When Yakumo was dressed, she said goodbye to Sarah and exited the club room. Surprisingly, there was a few boys standing outside of the room, across from the door. She recognized them as the boys she heard talking about the club the other day. Imadori was standing in the middle of them with a grin on his face.

"Finally, we get to see the club firsthand." He whispered as the ten new Hostesses exited the room. Before Yakumo could scurry to collect her shoes from her locker, she ran right into someone. Out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of short, stick straight black hair.

"Hanai?" She asked, but when she looked up, it wasn't Hanai that she had barreled into. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Oji Karasuma didn't seem disgruntled from the accidental run-in. He stared down at Yakumo with emotionless ebony eyes. He took one quick step back, giving Yakumo some space. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She assured him with an apologetic bow of her head. "You are...Karasuma of class 2-C, right?"

Karasuma nodded his head once. "I am. And I believe you are the youngest Tsukamoto sister. I'm a classmate of your sister."

Yakumo knew very well who this boy was. His name was often brought up during her talks with Tenma. It wasn't a secret to anyone at all, except for maybe Karasuma himself, that Tenma wanted to be his. "Yes, that's right."

He looked to the side suddenly, his distant eyes seeming to see something out the window that held his interest. "Well, I must be going. Please take care."

Yakumo bowed her head quickly once again and then stepped to the side. "You too."

Oji Karasuma walked down the hall then, his eyes back on the folder he was holding in his hands. She was very surprised when he opened the door to the Hostess Club room and walked inside. Curious as to what business he had with the club but knowing that she needed to return home, Yakumo reluctantly exchanged her white school slippers for the brown dress shoes in her locker and exited the school.

"What?! You ran into Karasuma?!" Tenma screamed during dinner that night.

Yakumo hadn't meant to bring it up. It was an accident in the first place, so why should she even feel the need to tell Tenma? As soon as Yakumo had returned home, Tenma began to bombard her with questions about the club. She gave vague answers that told Tenma very little, which caused Tenma to hound her in earnest until dinner. Finally figuring she needed to think of a proper subject change, she told Tenma about running into him today.

"It was just an accident." She assured her sister.

"Did he get hurt? Was he upset? Did he mention me?" Tenma questioned.

"No, it just startled me and he didn't look upset at all. Yes, he mentioned you." She answered honestly. Technically, he did mention Tenma. He did mention that he was a classmate of Tenma, which satisfied Tenma enough to end the questions and begin fantasizing of 'accidentally' bumping into him the next day.

Tenma giggled. "I'll fix my hair and makeup real nice and just 'coincidentally' run into him. I'll smile sweetly and say 'Oh! I'm sorry Karasuma. Fancy meeting you here.'"

After dinner, Yakumo was doing the dishes when she remembered that she needed two matching folding fans for the club meeting tomorrow. Drying and putting away the final dish, she ran upstairs and dug through her closet. Unfortunately, none of her fans even remotely matched. She knew that there was a small trinket shop about five blocks from her house. Maybe they had folding fans.

"I'll be back in half an hour, Tenma. I have a couple errands to run." She told her sister before quickly leaving the house. If she didn't hurry, the sun would set before she could return home. Walking quickly down the dirt road that led away from the house, she was able to make it to the shop in only eight minutes.

She was looking through the fan selection the trinket shop had when she heard a familiar voice. "Oh, hey. Tenma's sister. What's up?" Harima asked as he went to stand beside her. He had a package of various paint brushes in one hand and a bottle of ink in the other. Yakumo had to fight off the blush that was threatening to form. Why did she always feel like blushing when he was around? The dark haired ghost would have immediately chalked it up to love. Yakumo was positive that it was only a crush, if that.

"Um, I'm buying a couple fans for the next club meeting. I was accepted into a new club." She told him before picking up a pale pink one with thin red trim.

"What new club?" He asked, his sunglasses blocking his eyes as usual.

"Um, the Hostess Club." She answered.

By the slight raise of one of his dark brows, Yakumo assumed that he must not know about it yet. "Um, well funding for the Tea Club was cut so we combined forces with the Beauty Club and created the Hostess Club."

Yakumo didn't dare say anything else about the club, not even an estimated time of when they'd be open to the public. She didn't want to say anything that would violate the club rules. Mostly because she really did feel intimidated by the Matsumoto sisters and didn't want to do anything to get on their bad side. Harima didn't seem too interested in the club.

"Sounds...different." He finally said.

Yakumo selected two of the pink fans with red trim and went to purchase them at the register. Before she could pull her wallet out, Harima beat her to the punch. Yakumo's eyes widened. "I can pay for them, Harima. Please don't trouble yourself."

He shook his head. "After all you've done to help me out with my comics, I owe it to you."

No amount of convincing on Yakumo's part would phase him. Paying for his things as well, he handed Yakumo the bag with her fans inside and the two left the store. "Thank you so much." She said sincerely.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. Well, I gotta get going. See you."

The two parted ways and Yakumo was left to walk home as the sun set over the horizon. Luckily, she made it home before the light could completely disappear. Tenma seemed oblivious to her sister's brief absence. She was currently punching the air in front of her as she watched her favorite TV show in excitement. "Don't stay up too late, sis." Yakumo tried to tell her but Tenma was oblivious to anything but the show.

Locking up the front door, Yakumo went upstairs and carefully removed the price tags from her fans before hunting down a permanent marker. Writing her first and last name in tiny print on the wooden sides of the fan handles, she folded them up and placed them in her school bag for the morning.

"Well done." She heard the all too familiar voice of the ebony haired ghost say. Spinning around, Yakumo wearily backed towards her bed, knowing full well that she would faint once the ghost left.

Sitting carefully on the bed, she faced the apparition. "Well done?"

The ghost floated until she was standing a mere three feet from Yakumo. "You're on the right path. I predicted that you would make it into the club while your sister wouldn't and it happened. I next predict that you will be promoted to full Hostess in less than three months."

Yakumo's crimson eyes widened. "But mother said that it would take at least three months. And that's for the really gifted ones."

The ghost smirked. "If I've predicted it, then it shall come to pass. I do have a warning for you though. Beware of the people in your life. The ones you think you can trust sometimes are the ones who betray you."

The ghost began to fade into a nearly blinding burst of light and Yakumo felt herself being pulled into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'VE BEEN FINISHING AT LEAST A CHAPTER A DAY SO FAR, SOMETHING I'M GRATEFUL FOR. :) INSPIRATION, I'M SO GLAD WE'RE BUDDIES AGAIN.**

**DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER ONE.**

**Chapter 4**

General POV:

"It's cold..." Yakumo murmured. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was laying with her legs dangling off the bed. After some serious thought, she finally remembered that she had a surprise visitor last night. What did she mean by 'the ones you think you can trust sometimes are the ones who betray you'?

Sitting up, she was thankful that she didn't have a headache like the last time. There was still another hour before Yakumo would need to get up for school but she felt positive that she couldn't fall back asleep again and wake up feeling rested with such little time left. Remembering that she didn't have a chance to take a bath last night, Yakumo located her uniform and a clean towel before going to spend a few minutes cleaning up.

Tenma was still crawling out of bed when Yakumo snuck downstairs and left the house. She couldn't explain why but part of her couldn't stand to stay in the house for another moment. "Sorry Tenma... I hope you get to school okay..."

Arriving at the school, she went inside and interchanged her street shoes for her white slip-on ones. Now, what was she to spend her time doing until school started? Walking through the halls, she was passing by the club room when she heard shouting coming from the room. There was a paper posted on the door designating that a private meeting was going on and to stay out.

Even standing as far away from the door as she was, she could hear the person shouting as clearly as if she were standing directly beside her. "What are you doing letting little first and second years in? We need a strong club of third years!"

The curiosity she felt overcame her and Yakumo felt herself edging towards the door. She could just barely make out the voice of 'mother' speaking. "Even you have to realize what would happen if we did only open the club to third years. We'd all graduate and the club would shut down. We need to have predecessors."

"I think someone is just jealous." Eri sama said with a condescending laugh. "You're afraid that, once the club is open to patrons, you'll be less liked than someone else."

"Oh please, you're afraid of being upstaged too. Don't assume so much when you know so little." Maki san said venomously.

"I would change your tone Maki chan. Know your place." Mother said in almost a dangerous tone. "If you suddenly have time to badger us about stupid things, then I'm sure you have time to run this envelope to the main office. Give it to the assistant principal directly. No one else is to even know you have it."

"Fine. But when these underclassmen start breaking the rules right and left, don't blame me."

Suddenly, Yakumo heard footsteps approaching the door. Panicked, she quickly backed up and ducked into the nearest classroom, the changing room for the club. When she no longer heard footsteps, Yakumo carefully slid open the door and peered out. The coast seemed clear so Yakumo slid out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"What were you doing in there?" Someone asked, causing Yakumo to jump a foot in the air.

Spinning around she was relieved to see it was only Sarah. "Um... I was trying to avoid Maki san." She answered honestly.

Sarah grimaced. "Ah. Yeah, she's pretty intimidating."

"I'm starting to wonder if it was a good idea to join the club in the first place." Yakumo murmured.

Sarah frowned. "Please don't quit. You're the only friend I have in the club. I don't want to be in it on my own." She begged.

Yakumo sighed and began to walk down the hall in the opposite direction of the club room. "I won't quit. I'm just saying that... I don't know. Let's go ahead and get to class."

"But class doesn't start for another twenty minutes." Sarah told her causing Yakumo to stop walking. This is all that ghost's fault for disrupting her sleep schedule. Yakumo listened to Sarah walk up behind her until the two were standing only a couple feet apart, right next to a vending machine. "You... seem really distracted lately. Are you alright?"

Looking at her feet, Yakumo nodded. "Just fine."

"Yakumo! There you are!" Tenma shouted as she bounded down the hall. "Why'd you leave home without me? I was worried."

Putting on her most convincing smile, Yakumo looked up at her older sister. "Hey sis. I had to show up early to talk with the club supervisor. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Upon hearing that Yakumo was okay, Tenma began to look around. "Have you guys seen Karasuma? I went by the band room and he wasn't there."

Both girls shook their heads. As if he were aware that he was being talked about, a classroom door about twenty feet away opened up. A second later, Karasuma stepped out and shut the door behind him, his eyes on an open folder in his right hand. "There he is." Yakumo whispered and Tenma spun around.

"Karasuma! How are you?" She called before running to his side. He looked up from the folder in his hand and nodded to her as the two walked down a nearby staircase together.

"I'm not sure if he genuinely likes her or not but he definitely has a soft spot for her." Sarah mused, a smile on her face.

Yakumo certainly hoped that was true. She knew without a doubt that Tenma loved Karasuma. Sadly, she also suspected that Harima loved Tenma. The latter knowledge caused a slight tug on Yakumo's heart.

"Sometimes, I worry what will happen once Tenma confesses her feelings to him." Yakumo whispered. "What if he doesn't return the feelings? It would devastate her."

"Hey, you remember Amaya from our class last year? She spent the entire year in love with this guy and on the last day of school, she finally confessed her feelings. When he said he didn't feel the same, she was embarrassed, but was able to quickly get over her feelings. Maybe all Tenma needs is to be told it's a wasted effort." Sarah said.

"Let's both pray that it isn't a wasted effort. I want to see her happy."

Yakumo and Sarah began to walk in the direction of their homeroom class, both just a little worried that Tenma was setting herself up for failure. At lunch, Yakumo was unwrapping her food from the cloth she had tied around it when she realized that she had two boxes labeled 'curry'.

"Not again. Tenma took both rice boxes. Let me go exchange one of these for some rice. I'll be right back."

Standing up, Yakumo grabbed one of the boxes and exited the classroom. On her way, she caught sight of the Matsumoto sisters eating their lunch in the outside courtyard with quite a few male students. The two seemed perfectly at ease being the center of attention. Looking away, Yakumo ducked into the classroom her sister was in.

"Sis?" She called as her eyes scanned the noisy room. Sitting near the window, with their desks pushed together, was Tenma and her friends. Rushing over, she placed the bento box in front of her sister. "You grabbed two rice boxes. Your curry is in this box."

Tenma giggled as she took the curry box and gave Yakumo one of the rice boxes. "Oopsie. That was a close one. I really wanted to share curry with Karasuma today."

Yakumo smiled. "Good luck today sis." She called as her sister took her two boxes and went to sit with Karasuma at his desk. Yakumo thought he looked slightly surprised when Tenma offered half her lunch but not weirded out or upset. Yakumo crossed her fingers and hoped that her sister would be lucky in love today.

As Yakumo was walking away from her sister, she caught sight of Hanai. He was currently facing the front of the room, talking with the teacher. Picking up the pace, she tried her best to escape the classroom without being spotted.

"Yakumo my sweet!" Hanai suddenly shouted so loudly that the entire room went deathly silent.

He was already approaching her. She had seconds to react. Clutching the box of rice in one hand, she opened the door quickly and darted from the room. Yeah, it was rude of her but she really couldn't stand his over the top love confessions today. She hadn't even taken a full step out of the room when someone grabbed a hold of her arm. Startled, she turned around and stared up at the overexcited expression on Hanai's face.

"He-hello." She stuttered. His emotions were especially loud today. They hung above his head and practically wrapped around her as well. It almost brought her to the point of feeling nauseous.

Hanai smiled down at her with that creepy grin of his. "I've been informed that a new club has been started and you are a member of it. Care to tell me about it?"

"Um...well, it's-"

"Tenma's sister." Harima called before suddenly appearing at her side. He was giving Hanai a warning look that caused him to drop his smile along with Yakumo's arm. "Everything okay?"

Yakumo nodded and gave Harima a grateful look. "Everything's fine. He was just asking me about the club I told you about." Yakumo rather reluctantly turned her attention back to Hanai. "It's a Hostess Club. Since it's just been established, I'm not at liberty to discuss it really."

Yakumo wasn't sure if Hanai heard anything she said or not. He and Harima were currently in a deadly looking staring match. The jealousy radiated off of Hanai and attempted to wrap Yakumo in its clutches. When Yakumo tried to focus in on Harima's emotions, just like the day she met him, she was greeted with silence. That means that he for sure doesn't see her in a romantic way.

"Go ahead and get to class." Harima told Yakumo without looking at her. Afraid there might be a fight but also wanting to get away from Hanai, Yakumo listened. Turning on her heel, she scurried away and didn't stop her near running pace until she was standing next to Sarah inside her own classroom.

Sarah looked alarmed with she saw Yakumo. "You look as pale as a sheet. What happened?"

Blushing brightly, Yakumo sat and handed the box of rice over to Sarah. "Nothing. I'm actually not so hungry anymore. You're welcome to eat the rice and curry."

The alarmed looked on Sarah's face worsened. "But you never skip lunch. And I bet you didn't eat breakfast either. You should at least try to eat."

Yakumo seriously couldn't stomach a single bite right now. What had started as Hanai harassing her with questions in the hall soon escalated into a confrontation that could have easily turned into a full blown fight. Hanai and Harima both were the type to not back down, just for the sake of their pride. She wouldn't be surprised if they were fighting it out right now.

For the remainder of the day, Yakumo was able to successfully evade all of Sarah's questions. When the bell rang, She quickly slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the room. When she made it to the club room, she had to stop suddenly. Standing outside of the club, blocking the exit to the side room, was the Matsumoto sisters. Both seemed to be arguing about something. On closer inspection, she realized that they weren't angry with eachother but were both equally passionate about wishing that all first and second years would be dropped from the club.

"Most of them aren't much to look at but there's a few that might cause problems for us." Yumi mumbled angrily.

"I think you're worrying over nothing. We haven't even began taking patrons yet. For all you know, we'll be very well received. We have more experience in performance than any other member." Maki tried to reassure her sister.

"And what if you're wrong and we get blown out of the water by one or two fast learners?"

"Look, I've already tried to argue your point to mother and Eri sama and it made them cross with me. When you and I start rising in ranks and outshine everyone, then we'll have more influence over them. Until then, you need to stop causing trouble. I heard that you made a visit to all of the new recruits yesterday." Maki looked extremely irritated. So much so that Yakumo was afraid to scurry past them and walk in the main club door. If they saw her, they might try to confront her like Yumi san did yesterday.

"I just wanted a peek at the competition." Yumi said casually, unabashedly.

"Don't do it again. If there was to be someone that decided to drop out of the club and news got back that you visited her beforehand, who do you think will get the blame?"

This seemed to make Yumi act a little less haughty. "Yeah, you're right. We better get in and get ready. Not much time left."

Once the two walked into the changing room, Yakumo waited half a minute before walking in herself. Sliding the door open quickly and then shut, she noticed that most of the club members were here already. She counted nine all together, including herself and the girl who was working as an assistant for mother and Eri sama. Who was missing?

Undressing and quickly donning her kimono, she tied the obi in the front and then slid it to the back. Surprisingly, the assistant was handing a fresh pair of tabi socks and geta sandals to everyone. "Put on the socks but do not wear the sandals while on the tatami mats. We'll be going out to the gardens today."

Accepting the offered items, she put on the socks and buttoned them up. Clutching her geta in one hand, she went to dig her two recently purchased folding fans out of her school bag. In fear that they might get crushed during the day, Yakumo had placed them in a wooden box that she found inside her closet the night before.

Everyone else also had their own pair of fans in hand as the assistant shooed them all into the hall. Waiting outside for them was mother and Eri san. "Please put on your geta and follow us to the garden that separates the school and the soccer field. We'll be having our lessons outside today. Think of this not only as a lesson but also a way to show the school your face. We expect everyone to gain a bit of notability by the time they are first introduced to the club patrons." Mother told everyone, confusing most of them. Only the Matsumoto sisters seemed to understand exactly why they needed to be seen.

Putting on her geta, Yakumo followed her senpais down the hall as quickly as the movement restricting kimono would allow. By the time they made it to the front door, they had acquired some followers. Most were boys but some were girls who were curious about the kimono wearing students.

"What's going on?" Yakumo heard someone ask.

"Is it a parade?" Another asked.

As they walked, the assistant, who was in the back of the group, handed out flyers to every boy in the audience. "The Hostess Club will be opening on the fifteenth. The Hostess Club will be opening on the fifteenth." She kept repeating as she handed the flyers out.

The fifteenth? That would mean that mother would be unleashing the first group of girls to be visited by patrons in only thirteen days. That's only a little under two weeks. Would she be expected to present herself that quickly? "Don't dawdle. We have a time quota to fill." Mother scolded as almost everyone slowed to watch the reactions of the boys receiving the flyers.

Picking up the pace, they walked to the middle of the flower filled field and sat directly in the middle of a circular group of rose bushes. A large blanket had already been laid out for them to sit on. Sliding off her shoes, Yakumo stepped onto the blanket and knelt down the way she had while sitting on the pillows in the club room yesterday. Eri sama waited until they were all seated to speak. Clearing her throat very quietly, she pointed to the soccer field. From here, they could see the players run across the field.

"You will not understand what I mean by this until later but the boys you see there are your keys to fame in this club. They are a handful of the most popular and influential boys in this school and, without them, you cannot proceed to a second tier ranking let alone rank up to a full Hostess. Mother will explain tiers."

"In this club, there are five tiers. The higher the tier, the more money you bring into the club. If, after a month of working with patrons, you don't bring a certain amount of money to the club, you will be put on probation. If another two weeks pass and you still haven't met your quota, you will be kicked out of the club and another will take your place. You are all currently in the fifth tier of the club. You aren't even working with customers yet. When you earn enough experience to begin entertaining, you will be bumped up to the fourth tier." Mother explained.

"When you earn your tenth four or five star rating, you'll rank up to the third tier. When you earn your twentieth, you'll become a full hostess and also you will rank up to the second tier." Eri sama added. "The first tier is reserved for the most well liked girls in the club overall. Only full hostesses will ever make it to the first tier. If you don't survive your apprenticeship, it will be your own fault."

"Did any of you remember what we asked you to bring?" Mother asked.

As the girls were all presenting their fans to her, the missing trainee hostess finally made an appearance. She ran quickly across the field and didn't stop until she was bowing right in front of mother. The bow was a sloppy version of the bow they were taught yesterday. "I am so sorry!" She yelled with tears in her eyes.

"You do realize that this means I must put you on probation, right Rin?" Mother whispered just loud enough for Rin and a few girls in a few foot radius to hear. "Go take a seat. Stay after club hours so I can talk with you."

Rin bowed once again and went to take a seat at the back of the group. As mother went on to explain some of the activities we would be doing before the debut of the fourth tier apprentices, Sarah gave Yakumo a nervous glance. Both were thinking the same thing. Getting kicked out of this club is very easy. Yakumo now understood what Eri sama meant when she said that this was a difficult club to get into an an even more difficult club to stay in.

Near the end of the club meeting, mother produced two white fans with gold trim. She opened them up and began to toss them in the air with expert precision and catch them. "Tomorrow we will meet as well, same time, in the classroom. We'll learn that day how to do a few basic fan tricks and will also begin our dance lessons. Be prepared. The first two days were easy in comparison to what you'll be put through from this point on."

Yakumo could feel a nearly tangible weight being placed on her shoulders. She had a very strong feeling that these next two weeks would either make or break her. 'Sis wants me to keep participating in this club, so I will. And Harima...' She shook her head, stopping her thoughts in their tracks. 'Harima is in love with Tenma. I can't think about him. I won't.'

When mother had finished talking, everyone stood and put back on their geta before folding up the blanket and walking inside. Once again, there was a crowd of people there to witness their procession. Back in the dressing room, Yakumo gratefully changed back into her school uniform and was about to be the first to leave when mother suddenly appeared.

"Before any of you go, see that wooden shelf with the cubbies? Your names have been placed beneath your respective cubby. Put all of your club related belongings there.

Yakumo lifted her kimono from the box she had placed it in and placed everything in her cubby. Bowing respectfully to mother, she left the room and headed for the locker room to interchange her shoes. She was about to do so when mother and Eri sama's assistant ran from the club room and skidded to a stop right in front of Yakumo. "I have to get home this instant. Please do me a favor and take this to the main office. Hand it to the vice principal and make sure nobody sees you with it."

"Um..." Yakumo murmured. "Alright."

"Thank you so much!" She yelled before pushing the white envelope into Yakumo's hands and rushing past her. Confused but not wanting to get on anyone's bad side, Yakumo headed to the main office.

Yakumo had never been to the main office before. There was an office for every single grade and then there was the main office, which was meant for third year students and the head principal and vice principal. Come to think of it, Yakumo hasn't met the head or vice principal before either. Would she know who was who? What if they didn't wear name tags the way the second year staff does and she handed the envelope to the wrong person.

Standing outside the door, she grimaced slightly before opening the door. The main office looked like any other office, though it was a little bigger than the other offices. The secretary looked up at Yakumo and she quickly hid the packet behind her back. "Can I help you?"

"Um... Is the vice principal in?" She asked timidly.

The secretary began to give her a suspicious look. "You're the fourth girl in to see him in the past few days. Yes, he's in." She pointed towards a door about ten feet to Yakumo's left.

Yakumo bowed. "Thank you." She said quickly before walking to the door the secretary had pointed out with the folder hidden under the arm that wasn't in view of the secretary. Yakumo knocked.

"Come in." A deep voice called and Yakumo slid the door open. Stepping inside, she shut it and approached the mahogany desk without looking up. "Can I help you?"

She bowed her head and presented the large envelope to him. "This is from Akira Takano of the Hostess Club."

After a few seconds, when he hadn't taken the envelope from her, Yakumo felt compelled to look up. The head vice principal was a tall, dark haired man with a crew cut and a thin mustache. His build took on almost an intimidating nature, his eyes seemed to take in every inch of Yakumo before finally settling on her face. He wore a pair of thin rimmed, rectangular glasses similar to the ones Hanai wore and came off as someone who was very self confident.

When the two made eye contact, his demeanor seemed to take a one eighty. He smiled brightly, causing the taut planes of his face to become almost rosy. For some reason, Yakumo found his dark eyes very familiar. He stood up from his seat and accepted the envelope from her. "Welcome to my office. I'm Vice Principal Izanagi."

Yakumo was very disturbed when his thoughts began to circle around him. Was he actually...attracted to her? His thoughts weren't nearly as loud as Hanai's so it was only a little bit of a challenge to block them out. "If that is all, I must be going-"

"What's your name?" He asked quickly, cutting her off. "I haven't ever seen you in my office before. You must be a... first year?"

Yakumo wasn't sure if it was wise to give him her name. But if she was rude to this man and news got back to mother, she might be in trouble. "My name is Yakumo Tsukamoto and I'm actually a second year. I was told to bring the folder to you by Takano senpai's assistant."

"Well, thank you very much. Why don't you take a seat. I'm brewing some coffee as we speak. And if you aren't a fan of coffee, I've got..." He leaned down next to a mini fridge and began to riffle through it. "Orange juice and melon flavored juice."

"I'm okay sir, really." She assured him, her eyes on the door. "My older sister is waiting for me at the house. I need to get the chores done and then dinner..."

Vice principal Izanagi raised a hand. "Say no more. Be on your way. If there's ever anything you need, please give me a holler."

Bowing once more, Yakumo ran from his office so fast, she almost clipped her shoulder with the door frame. Shutting it behind her, she had to skid to a stop or risk barreling into the same person she had the other day. He was standing at a table with a stack of papers and was organizing them into two different piles. He had turned his head in Yakumo's direction when she had slammed the door shut and was now giving her that same blank stare he usually gave.

"Young Miss. Tsukamoto. Were you just talking to Vice Principal Izanagi?" Karasuma asked, his voice sounding slightly curious.

She nodded quickly, slightly confused by the way he had addressed her but remembering that he referred to Tenma as Miss. Tsukamoto. "Yes. I was just..." She had been told not to let anyone see the envelope. Did that mean she couldn't talk about it either? "...running errands for my club."

"You seem rather flushed. Is everything okay?" He asked suddenly. If his emotions hadn't been as silent as Harima's, she would have thought that he was interested in her well being for personal reasons. She barely knew this boy and he hadn't exactly put forth an effort to be her friend. He was better acquainted with Tenma anyway and that suited Tenma just fine.

Yakumo touched her face and it did indeed feel warm. When she felt extremely nervous, this tended to happen. "Yes, I'm fine."

Karasuma looked back towards the Vice Principal's office and then back at Yakumo. "I'll walk you to the door. I'm leaving school now myself."

This took Yakumo completely off guard. She stood there as he placed all the organized papers into two different bins and picked up his school bag. As he began to walk towards the door, Yakumo followed after him. "I really can walk myself."

He looked down at Yakumo as they walked down the hall. "I don't mind escorting you. It's already past five. The only students who loiter right outside the school at this time are either vandals or not very nice people. I'd hate for you to be confronted."

Yakumo found herself feeling very pleased. A boy who enjoys her company but not because they wanted her. Other than Harima, there weren't any other boys like that who she came into contact with on a regular basis. "Thank you."

The two took their street shoes from their lockers and interchanged them with their white school shoes before heading for the front door. Karasuma was right. As soon as they exited, Yakumo took note of five boys leaning against the side of the building with cigarettes in their hands or in their mouths. Smoking was absolutely forbidden on school grounds.

"Hey there kiddies." One of them said. He was very tall and burly with dark green hair and a very mischievous smile. He used his foot to kick himself from the wall he was leaning against and walked towards Yakumo and her escort. "Got any cash you could lend me?"

Yakumo was a nervous wreck but Karasuma didn't seem to even be phased. What he did do was gently take hold of Yakumo's arm and lead her away from the group of men. "Hey, where you going?" Another one of the boys said. Yakumo could hear them walking behind them, maybe about ten feet away.

Before they could even get off school grounds, the one with green hair caught up to them and placed a hand on Karasuma's shoulder. Yakumo nearly fainted as he took a blade and placed it to the side of Karasuma's neck. "Keep walking. There's an alley a little ways away."

Yakumo dug her nails into Karasuma's arm as the boy pushed them down a side road. Up ahead, she saw that there was going to be a turn that would put them between two big privacy fences. As soon as they reached the turn, the boy literally pushed Karasuma forward, causing Yakumo to be pulled with him. Karasuma easy balanced himself and reached out to take a hold of Yakumo's shoulders before she fell. The alley was only about ten feet by ten feet and was blocked off on one end so that the only way to exit would be to run past the thugs.

One with dirty brown hair pulled out a knife as well. "Now take out all your money right now."

It all happened very fast. The one with green hair lunged for Karasuma, planning to tackle him to the ground. Karasuma swung to the side and let the guy tumble to the ground himself. "Jax!" One of his friends yelled.

The green haired guy sat up and began to rub the side of his head. "Hurt him bad. Save the girl for me."

On command, the other four ran for Karasuma and Yakumo. Karasuma gently pushed her to the side so that she was leaning on the fence and stood perfectly still, as if he was waiting for the attack to just happen. He didn't seem concerned at all and it almost made Yakumo faint once again. What on Earth was about to happen?

The first guy to reach him swung his fist forward but Karasuma grabbed his hand and literally flung him onto his back. The scrawny boy cried out as he connected with the asphalt beside Jax. When one wisely steered clear of Karasuma and reached for Yakumo, Karasuma grabbed a hold of Yakumo's wrist and jerked her towards him.

Wrapping one arm around her, he used the other to grab the next boy's neck and push him back, right into another approaching thug. The two boys slammed into the fence and slid down it, now unconscious. The final boy, who looked to be the youngest, stood there, not attempting to breathe, let alone move. He looked at all his fallen comrades and did the smartest thing he could. He ran like someone had set fire to his backside.

"Are you alright?" Karasuma suddenly asked her, causing her to jolt.

She nodded her head shakily. "I-I'm fine."

"You'll pay for this kid!" Jax yelled after them as Karasuma quickly escorted Yakumo from the alley, with his hand clutching one of her arms lightly. When they were far away from the alley and more pedestrians could be seen, Karasuma finally released Yakumo's arm and slowed down.

"Where do you live?" He asked suddenly.

Yakumo pointed towards a dirt road that began a little ways past a grocery store on the corner. The two walked up the small incline until the house came into view. Stopping suddenly, Yakumo tried to figure out what was best. Karasuma stopped as well and looked back at her. "Should I let you walk on by yourself?"

"I'm sure my sister would like to see you but I don't want her to be upset with me if she sees us arrive home together." She told him shyly.

He bowed his head quickly. "Then another time. Please be careful while traveling to school tomorrow. I'll be sure to make a call to the police. It will keep those boys in jail for a time."

He had just turned around and was walking back down the hill when Yakumo reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait!"

He turned back around, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Yes?"

"Um..." She blushed. "Thank you. Thank you very much. I have a feeling I'd be dead if not for you."

Surprisingly, he smiled. In that one, small smile, Yakumo saw some of the potential that Tenma saw on a regular basis. "Don't mention it. Please be safe."

As soon as Yakumo released his arm, he left her standing at the top of the hill with very jumbled thoughts.

**I HOPE YOU ENJOYED CHAPTER FOUR. THE FIGHTING SCENE WAS DIFFICULT TO WRITE CAUSE I'M NORMALLY VERY BAD AT WRITING ACTION SCENES BELIEVE IT OR NOT.**

**!I ACTUALLY SELECTED THE NAME OF THE VICE PRINCIPAL BECAUSE THE NAME IZANAGI MEANS 'MALE WHO INVITES'. I'M SURE MOST OF YOU CAN TELL HE'S GONNA BE ONE OF 'THOSE' TEACHERS.**

**I KNOW THAT JAX IS NOT A JAPANESE NAME BUT I WAS HAVING ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO TRY FOR A REAL JAPANESE NAME AFTER THINKING UP JAX. THE NAME REMINDS ME OF THE WORD 'JAGGED'. TO EVERYONE WITH A NICKNAME LIKE THAT, FORGIVE ME FOR SAYING SO. IN FACT, I KNEW A VERY NICE KID NAMED JAXON IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I THINK HE WENT BY THE NICKNAME JAX.**


	5. Chapter 5

**LATELY, I'VE BEEN BATTLING WITH MYSELF ON WHETHER OR NOT I SHOULD POST THE STORY ON FANFICTION AND LEAVE IT FOR YOU GUYS TO READ. EVERY CHAPTER THAT I FINISH, I FEEL MORE AND MORE TEMPTED TO HAND IT OVER TO YOU GUYS BUT I NEVER GET AROUND TO IT. AT LEAST YOU GUYS WILL ALWAYS HAVE CHAPTERS TO READ EACH DAY IF I KEEP GOING THIS WAY. **

**DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER ONE.**

**Chapter Five**

General POV:

"I'm home, sis." Yakumo called as she opened the front door.

"There you are! You're late!" Tenma said angrily as she bounded down the stairs. "I'm hungry!"

"There's plenty of ready made food in the fridge and even leftovers. I'll cook as soon as I do my homework. I don't have much-"

Tenma sighed loudly. "But I'm hungry now!"

Yakumo, still on edge from her near death experience, turned around when she was halfway to the stairs and gave Tenma a stern look. "Dinner isn't for another hour and I have things to do. You're seventeen. I'm sure you can manage something without burning the house down until I can get around to cooking."

Tenma had a stunned look on her face as Yakumo ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. Why did she just do that? She hasn't snapped at Tenma for her childish behavior since they were little kids. Swallowing the guilt, Yakumo sat on her bed with her school bag and made a promise to herself that she'd apologize once she went back downstairs and top it off by making Tenma's favorite curry recipe.

When her homework was finished, Yakumo placed everything back in her bag and went downstairs. Tenma was currently sitting in the living room, putting all her focus into her favorite television show, so Yakumo thought it wise not to disturb her during it. Running into the kitchen, Yakumo quickly got out all the ingredients and began to cook.

When the food was nearly finished, the smell began to drift into the living room, catching Tenma's interest. Putting two plates of curry and rice on the table, Yakumo took the boiling tea kettle off the stove and made two cups of Tenma's favorite tea. Tenma smiled widely and dug into her dish right away. "Thanks Yakumo!"

Taking a careful bite, Yakumo looked down. "I'm sorry for getting upset earlier."

When Yakumo had the courage to look back up, she saw that Tenma was still smiling. "It's okay. I'm sorry that I can't cook very well, otherwise I'd help take some of the load off you."

Yakumo shook her head. "I don't mind doing the cooking, really. I just..." Should she tell her? If Tenma was as close to Karasuma as she claimed to be, he would probably tell her. "...I had a very bad day. I was almost attacked today, when I was walking home from school."

Tenma's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "Ah! What happened?! Did you get hurt?!"

"I'm fine, sis...Karasuma saved me." She admitted with a slight blush. The fight that had ensued in the alley was still fresh in her mind. She had always pegged Karasuma as the type to shy away from a fight. She had no idea that he was this capable.

One look at Tenma's face and Yakumo knew that her sister was back in her own little world. "Oh, Karasuma saved you?! Oh my brave, selfless Karasuma! Why didn't you invite him inside for tea or something Yakumo?! That would have given me an excuse to spend time with him!"

Yakumo bowed her head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think."

Tenma pouted in a very baby-like manner. "It's so unfair! Why does all the cool stuff happen to other people... Getting saved by Karasuma would be awesome."

Yakumo would never wish what she went through on anyone. She was lucky that Karasuma was a strong enough fighter to get them out of the situation. Tenma had a habit of blindly charging into a situation without really considering the consequences. If Tenma had been in Yakumo's place, she no doubt would have tried to help fight and that might result in her getting injured or even worse.

After dinner, Yakumo washed up the dishes and went directly upstairs to do some research. Mother had recommended that everyone look up dance videos to help with visualizing what they needed to accomplish anyway. Looking at all of these capable dancers made Yakumo feel very insignificant. How could she even compare to that level of ability? She truly hoped that she wouldn't have to start entertaining customers when they first opened to the public. Two weeks just wouldn't cut it as far as training was concerned.

When her eyes were beginning to strain from looking at the computer for so long, she shut it off and went to check on Tenma. Stopping outside her sister's closed room door, she was about to knock when she overheard her sister tell someone about Karasuma saving her 'baby sis'. Listening a little more intently, she realized her sister was on the phone.

"I don't know exactly what happened but I sure wish I could've been saved by Karasuma. He's like some kind of super hero. ... I know! I should stay up late and bake him a cake to thank him for saving Yakumo! … Of course it's a good idea! ... I can't let Yakumo bake the cake! If she gives it to him in her thanks, it would draw his attention away from me! Plus, as the oldest sibling, it is my responsibility to make the cake to thank him!"

Yakumo considered backing away from the door and going downstairs to make sure that there was enough flour for Tenma to bake with, and to place a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher on the counter, but something her sister said froze her in place.

"Did Akira or Eri ever tell you what that Hostess Club is about? They mentioned something about entertaining boys at the orientation meeting but it doesn't tell us too much. I tried asking Akira and Eri both about the club but neither will tell me anything. Maybe I could ask Yakumo. I'm her sister after all. We don't keep secrets from eachother at all. … Oh? Okay. Talk to you later Mikoto. Bye!"

A few seconds later, Yakumo heard footsteps from the other side of the door. Panicking, she quickly backed into her own room and shut the door as quietly as possible. When Tenma's footsteps entered the hall and walked right past her room without stopping, Yakumo sighed in relief. She doubted her sister would be very happy to learn she had been snooping. She normally wouldn't but, when she heard her and her friend discussing her and the club, she couldn't help it.

"Yakumo! Where do we keep the flour?!" Tenma called from downstairs.

Exiting her room, Yakumo called from the stairwell. "The cabinet to the left of the sink! Do you need any help?"

"No, I've got it! Aaahhh!" Tenma screamed. "I dumped half the bag of flour into the bowl! Oh no!"

"Tenma, please let me help." Yakumo called as she ran downstairs and ducked into the kitchen. Tenma was currently putting all the flour back into the package, using a funnel as a shovel. "Sis, that won't work. You need something without a hole in the bottom."

Tenma sighed dramatically and handed over the package of flour to Yakumo. "I suck at cooking. I'm so bad, I can't even carry a package of flour without dropping it into the bowl."

"It just takes practice. I'm more than willing to help. Karasuma will be happy to get a cake from you whether you baked it yourself or not." Yakumo said with a smile.

The look of frustration on Tenma's face very slowly turned to one of confusion. "How did you know I was baking a cake for Karasuma?"

Yakumo's face went as white as a sheet. "Uh...It just seemed natural that if you were going to use flour, you were going to bake a cake and who else is there that needs a cake? This is obviously a...'thank you for saving my sister' cake?"

Thankfully, Tenma's confused look went away and she smiled. "Good guess."

Yakumo tried her best not to show how upset she felt. Why did she just lie to Tenma. If she had just admitted to overhearing her conversation, Tenma wouldn't have been angry. Sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, Yakumo watched Tenma attempt to prepare a cake. Calling out helpful hints, Tenma was able to bake a good enough cake after the eighth try.

After the cake cooled, Yakumo watched as Tenma frosted it and wrote 'THANK YOU KARASUMA' in big chocolate letters. "He's going to be so surprised!"

"I'm...going to go to bed." Yakumo mumbled before walking slowly towards the stairs. "Make sure you place a protective covering over the cake or you'll attract flies."

"Uh, sure. Night Yakumo!"

Walking upstairs and shutting herself in her room, Yakumo sighed. Why does this situation make her feel this weird? Obviously, the normal thing would be for Yakumo to make him the cake in thanks for saving her life, not Tenma. But this could be good for Tenma. If Karasuma spends enough time with Tenma, he's sure to see how great she is.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Yakumo was about to call it a night when she saw something in the top shelf of her closet that caught her eye. Standing up, she pulled down the bright blue lacquered box and sat it on her bed. Removing the lid, she looked at her silk, furisode Spring kimono. It had been a gift from her father before he passed away. It started as the palest shade of blue at the top and slowly darkened to a cerulean blue at the bottom. Butterflies in a slightly darker shade of blue were placed periodically over the fabric.

She was about to try it on when she heard someone knock on the front door. Pulling a cotton robe over her pajamas, Yakumo ran downstairs just as Tenma was exiting the kitchen to answer the door herself. Tenma unlocked and slid open the door.

"Harima! What are you doing here?" Tenma asked.

Feeling her face slightly heat up, Yakumo walked up behind her sister. "More comics?"

Harima handed the envelope to Tenma with a slight blush on his face. Tenma turned around and handed the comics to Yakumo before turning back towards Harima. "Just bring them to school when you're done. I gotta get going."

"Wait, would you like to stay for tea?" Yakumo asked quickly.

Tenma rolled her eyes. "Oh sure. She can remember to ask a random visitor to come in for tea but she forgets to ask the guy who saves her. Come on in Harima! Yakumo can make some melon tea!"

The blush on Harima's face darkened as Tenma grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "Yes ma'am."

Shutting the door, Yakumo hurried into the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Feeling shier than ever, she placed tea cups in front of her sister and their guest before filling them both up. "Would you like a snack?"

Harima looked up Yakumo and smiled casually like he always does when confronting her. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks for the tea." He said before turning back to Tenma. "So, I hear there's this new Hostess Club thing going on? Are you a member of it Tenma?"

Tenma seemed to blush then. Raising an eyebrow, Yakumo waited for Tenma's response. "Uh, yeah I am! Though it's not as fun as people say. I'll probably quit before they open..."

Harima shook his head quickly. "Don't give up too quickly. It might get better. If what I hear it right and you guys plan on entertaining people, I'll come see you."

Tenma grinned. "Even though I'm in the club and all, I can't seem to figure out what a Hostess is. Do you know Yakumo?"

Yakumo shrunk in her chair. After overhearing her sister's phone conversation, she had expected her sister to confront her and ask questions. She didn't expect it to be this soon though. "I-I don't know either. They haven't really explained things yet."

Tenma pouted. "Oh come on. There must be something they told you. What have you been doing in the club meetings?"

"It really doesn't matter. It was great to sit and talk with you both but I really do have to get going. There's a few things I need to pick up from the store before it closes." Harima said quickly, saving Yakumo from having to explain what she wasn't supposed to even mention.

"Oh, all right." Tenma said with a sigh before downing the rest of her tea.

The three stood up together and walked towards the front door. When Harima had been shown out, the two sisters walked upstairs together with plans to go to bed.

"Um, Tenma?" Yakumo called timidly as the two stood in their respective room doorways. Yakumo clutched the envelope full of pages of Harima's comic to her chest and tried to choose words that wouldn't embarrass or offend her sister.

"Yes?" She asked.

"A few minutes ago, when you told Harima you were in the Hostess Club..."

Tenma instantly grew very sheepish. Giggling nervously, she waved her hand as if to dismiss what her sister was bringing up. "Oh, that? I just didn't want to look like a loser in front of one of my classmates is all. When the club opens, I'll just tell him I quit it cause the hours were too demanding. You... Won't tell anyone, right?"

Yakumo shook her head. "Of course not, sis. I'll never tell Harima."

Knowing that her secret was safe, Tenma instantly went back to her bubbly self. "Oh good. I'd hate for it to somehow get back to Karasuma."

Hearing this, Yakumo was brought back to the day she had bumped into Karasuma. After ending his conversation with her, he walked right into the club room with some sort of folder. Did that mean that Karasuma had something to do with the Hostess Club? If he did, Yakumo imagined that he was already aware of who was and wasn't in the club.

"I'll be going to bed now, sis. Goodnight." Yakumo told her before ducking into her own room and crawling into bed.

Harima's evening visit had brought mixed feelings to the two siblings. Yakumo imagined that Tenma saw it as only a casual visit since she was unaware of the feelings Harima harbored for her. In fact, Yakumo was sure that the only thing Tenma felt was slight unease at having to lie to Harima. Yakumo, however, wished that Harima had been able to stay longer.

She sighed. Why does she have to think about him that way? It's obvious that he only has eyes for Tenma so she shouldn't get her hopes up. As Yakumo drifted off to sleep that night, she was more than a little surprised to see, not Harima's face, but Karasuma's. Waking up around midnight with almost a startled feeling bubbling in her chest, she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. What a dream.

In her dream, Yakumo had been walking across the bridge that she had to cross when walking home from work. Pausing halfway across it, she felt the ground beneath her begin to shake. Grabbing onto the metal railing of the bridge, Yakumo screamed as she realized that the bridge was going to collapse. As Yakumo fought to stay balanced, she looked to the other end of the bridge and realized that there was someone standing there, watching.

"Karasuma?" She called but the rumbling of the bridge as pieces of it broke off drowned out her voice.

Oddly enough, he still heard her. His dark eyes snapped to her face and he began to walk across the bridge as if it wasn't collapsing. Her heart pounding so hard, she thought it might break through her chest. When he was only a couple feet from her, he began to stumble as well. Grabbing onto the railing with one hand, he reached out the other towards her.

Reaching out, she took his hand and held on for all she was worth. As the bridge began to fall towards the water below, Yakumo woke to the sound of her alarm clock. Blinking back the sleep, she sat up and switched off her alarm, the dream still fresh in her mind. In spite of the downright over dramatic nature of the dream, Yakumo could only think one thing.

"Suspension bridge affect."


	6. Chapter 6

**IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WROTE MORE FOR THIS STORY. I ENDED UP NEEDING TO GO BACK AND CORRECT A LOT OF THINGS ALONG WITH CHANGING A FEW SCENES. **

**IT GETS SO DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH THINGS IN MY STORY THAT I'VE STARTED KEEPING A CALLENDER OF SORTS TO KEEP TRACK OF EVENTS.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SCHOOL RUMBLE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I DO OWN THE MATSUMOTO SISTERS SINCE THEY BOTH ARE MADE UP BY MYSELF AS WELL AS IZANAGI.**

**PLEASE ENJOY!**

**Chapter Six**

"No, no, no!" Eri sama screamed as yet another of the hostesses in training tripped over the edge of her kimono and face planted. "How many times have I told you? You don't move the kimono to fit your movements, you fit your movements to the kimono. If it gets in the way of your feet, move your feet!"

The girl looked teary eyed and Yakumo felt very bad for her. Today was Thursday, the second day that Eri sama had spent teaching everyone how to dance. Most of the club members had picked up on the basics very quickly. There were, however, a couple stragglers. At one point, Eri sama used a piece of ribbon to create manacles around a girl's knees, just so she would stop taking giant steps between movements.

"For goodness sake! You're not senior citizens! Bend those knees!" Eri barked as she once again demonstrated things.

Yakumo took notice, yet again, of the Matsumoto sisters. Instead of stopping with what they were taught by Eri sama, they were performing an intricate dance. Stepping forward, Yumi Matsumoto began to bend back, creating an arch in her back, before she could get too far back, she winced and swung herself back up.

"Yumi san, don't attempt things you cannot do." Mother said as she took a sip of the tea she was drinking while everyone danced. "If you injure yourself, I'll have no choice but to replace you."

Yumi scowled. "Yes mother."

"I think that's enough for today." Eri sama said with a sigh. "Most of them are making progress."

Mother clapped her hands, causing her assistant to run from the crowd of dancers to ring the gong that had been delivered yesterday.

Standing, Mother looked them all dead in the eyes. "You may go now. Be sure to research more dances. You will be expected to audition for a solo dance for our recital Monday."

Before anyone could move, a girl raised her hand. "Will we have an audience?"

Eri sighed. "Yes yes. Mother and I have already selected who will attend. Now go change so we can lock up the rooms."

Bowing to her instructors, Yakumo left the room gladly. Her legs were hurting very badly after about an hour of nonstop dancing. Changing quickly, she was about to leave the side room when Sarah caught up to her. Sarah grinned. "Are you excited about the recital?"

"A little." Yakumo admitted. "Mostly nervous. I wonder if Tenma is invited. I would like for her to see me dance."

"From what I overheard the Matsumoto sisters saying, there will be an audience of twenty. We will all perform a group dance and five of us will perform a solo dance. The auditions for solos are tomorrow."

Yakumo frowned. "Tomorrow? How will I be ready to present myself by then?"

"The auditions aren't one on one like when we first entered the club." Sarah told her as they put on their street shoes. "We'll all dance the group dance Eri sama is teaching us together and five of us will be selected from the group based on how we perform. So make sure to practice tonight. I'm expected at the church for an event. I need to get going."

Giving her best friend a hug, Yakumo walked out the front doors and took a shortcut through a busier section of town to get home. Ever since she and Karasuma were nearly hurt by those men, she hasn't been able to use the regular, more scenic path she normally takes.

When she arrived home, her sister was sitting in the living room, her eyes glued to the television. "Welcome home!" Tenma yelled without looking away from her favorite show. "They're running a marathon of Three For The Kill. It's going to go on for the rest of the week."

"That's great sis." Yakumo said distractedly as she hurried up the stairs. She had no homework tonight but she certainly needed to do research for the club and practice the routine she had been learning for the past couple days.

Digging through her closet, Yakumo found a simple white yukata kimono with pink flowers to practice in. Putting it on, she quickly tied a pale pink obi around her waist and put on the softest pair of socks she owned in place of tabi socks. After an hour of practicing the group routine, Yakumo hurried downstairs to make dinner.

"Wow! What's the special occasion?" Tenma asked when Yakumo ran into the kitchen for dinner, still dressed in the kimono.

Yakumo blushed. "I needed to practice a routine and this is the only yukata I could find."

Tenma's eyes lit up. "Awww! Baby sis has a routine? Can I see it? Please?"

Blushing, Yakumo kept her eyes on her food and shook her head. "I'm not very good at it yet. Maybe tomorrow, after I practice it again in the club."

Tenma scooped more of her dinner into her mouth. "Well, okay. But I better get to see it soon!"

As the two were finishing up their supper, Tenma squealed. "Oh! I totally forgot! I was reading the school magazine with Mikoto and there was an article about the Hostess Club!"

Running from the table, Tenma returned with a crumpled five page magazine. Flipping through the main article and the announcements page, Tenma handed the magazine over to Yakumo. The article was not only on one of the first few pages but it took up the entire third page.

**A NEW CLUB, A NEW OPPORTUNITY:**

_**After the school's prized Tea Club and Beauty Club were cut from the budget, many were afraid that all traditional practices for Yagami High would cease to exist. Knowing that something needed to be done, Akira Takano, former president of the Tea Club and Eri Sawachika, former president of the Beauty Club, put both of their clubs behind them and worked together to create the Hostess Club.**_

_**What is the Hostess Club? Co-president Akira Takano explains that the members of this promising new club will have the opportunity to learn arts that many citizens in Japan have no time or money for. From traditional dance and tea ceremony to shamisen and voice lessons, each member will leave the club each day feeling accomplished.**_

_**Being one of the only lucrative clubs in the school, Yagami High's Hostess Club also gives its members scholarship opportunities. A portion of the money that each member raises goes into a private account for them and, after graduation, a letter of recommendation is signed by a chief delegate on Tokyo's Board of Education and sent to a college of the member's choice.**_

_**This coming Monday, the Hostess Club is hosting a dance recital to show off their learned skills. Although the guest list has already be determined, the recital will be filmed and sold by DVD, as promised by co-president Eri Sawachika. Be sure to purchase your copy of the performance Tuesday morning in front of the cafeteria at lunch.**_

_**If this club sounds as exciting to you as it is to me, be sure to stop by room B10 before or after school hours and sign up for the waiting list.**_

"Wow." Yakumo whispered as she finished the article.

"You got that right!" Tenma squealed. "I really wish I had made it into the club. It sounds so cool."

One thing that took Yakumo by surprise is the mention of scholarship assistance. If the Hostess Club planned on helping all the members who made it to graduation into college, she needed to stick it out. Since the death of their father, Social Services had been sending a monthly check. But even with that and the jobs the two sisters had during Summer hours, they could barely cover living expenses, let alone college money.

"Do you plan on going to college?" Yakumo asked Tenma.

Tenma looked thoughtful. "I'm thinking about it. I've only got a semester left of school and then that's it so I really should look into scholarships. My teacher says I will apply for a few if I get good scores on my exams next month. I better start picking a college."

When Tenma caught sight of the pie cooling on the counter, the conversation ended. After dessert, Tenma went to watch television while Yakumo did the dishes, her thoughts now on which college she should attend. Yakumo had ambitions just like many of the girls at Yagami High. In five years, she saw herself possibly working as a Veterinarian. She's always loved animals. She was drawn to them as they seemed to be drawn to her. Petting Lori quickly, Yakumo said goodnight to her sister and went upstairs to take a bath.

As Yakumo was drying off her hair and changing into pajamas, she looked into her bedroom mirror and noticed that her hair would need to be cut soon if she didn't want to overheat during the warmer of the Seasons. Normally, she kept it at her shoulders all year long instead of to nearly the middle of her back. But since there was a money shortage since late last year, she hadn't had a chance to visit the salon.

Brushing through her knots, Yakumo looked through a few more videos online before crawling into bed.

"Things are happening."

Yakumo had to resist the urge to scream when she heard the sudden voice. Opening her eyes, she almost sighed in relief when she realized it was the dark haired ghost girl. "What are you doing here?"

Floating a bit closer, the ghost seemed to smirk. "Things are happening. There will be a few very important people in the audience at the recital. They will take notice of you and so will your instructors. If you want to gain his affections, you will need to work hard."

Yakumo blinked sleepily. "I'm working as hard as I can. I also already told you. I'm not trying to gain anyone's affections."

The ghost's smirk became more pronounced. "I will return when you have finished the recital. Until then."

As the ghost vanished, Yakumo was pulled into a deep sleep.

"Again!" Eri sama ordered, forcing everyone to start the routine over. Most of the members thought that this was any other practice day. Yakumo and a few others, however, knew that today was audition day. Half the class were going to be given a solo for the recital. Today would determine who those five were.

"I've seen enough." Mother said as she stood from her spot on the stage. Walking down the steps, she looked at the group of girls. "Yumi Matsumoto. Step forward."

Yumi smirked and took a few steps forward. "Yes mother?"

"You will be performing a solo for the recital. Have one prepared by Sunday. Maki Matsumoto. You also have a solo."

Eri sama went to stand beside her co-president then. "Emiko Hanaka. You have a solo."

At the mention of her name, a girl with short black hair, metallic eyes and little glasses stepped forward. She seemed very confident with herself. With a smile on her face, she proudly stood beside the Matsumoto sisters.

"Kimi Miho." Mother said. A girl with aqua colored hair and green eyes stepped from the group next. Kimi came across as shy and insecure, much like Yakumo when she first entered high school. The thing about her that made her stand out is her graceful movements and very slender body. Taking her place beside the other soloists, Kimi looked at her feet.

"And the final soloist is Yakumo Tsukamoto." Eri sama said without much introduction before going to collect her bag from the stage.

Yakumo could hardly believe her ears. She had a solo? What did this mean as far as college money? Based on what mother and Eri sama had said, Yakumo knew that the more popular she becomes, the more she would be requested and the more money she'd make. Knowing this, the fact that she had been given a special solo in the recital made Yakumo smile.

"To the five who have earned solos, look up performances, create moves, recycle moves you've learned in this class." Mother ordered. "By Sunday, I want each of you to have a thirty to sixty second routine ready. Everyone will meet at the school Sunday afternoon at two to practice once more and then on Monday evening at eight, you will perform. Go change now."

Almost in a daze, Yakumo followed Sarah into the side room and began to disrobe. As she was zipping up her school skirt, Sarah looked at her with a grin. "I'm so proud of you. I knew you would enjoy this club once you gave it a chance."

Yakumo blushed. "Thank you. I wish you had gotten a solo as well."

Sarah shook her head. "Don't worry about me at all. I'm just going to have to work harder in the future. I have to get to the church now. We're having choir practice."

As the two parted ways, Yakumo began to feel the weight of her position press down on her. By accepting this solo, she was allowing a spotlight to be placed directly over her, just like every other soloist. Running downstairs, Yakumo collected her street shoes and made her way home.

"Young Miss. Tsukamoto."

Yakumo recognized his voice right away. Turning on her heel, she gave Oji Karasuma a questioning look. "Yes?"

"About the cake your sister made for me." He began quietly. "I wanted to thank her in person for it but she ran away as soon as she handed it to me the other day. I'm sorry to inconvenience you but could you pass along my thanks?"

Yakumo felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "I will."

Karasuma bowed his head quickly. "Thank you."

As Karasuma was preparing to leave, Yakumo remembered something. "Wait. Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Giving her his trademark blank stare, Karasuma nodded. "Yes."

"What do you have to do with the Hostess Club? I've seen you enter the club room before with folders and envelopes identical to the ones mother, I mean Akira san, uses."

He seemed to shift a little as Yakumo finished asking her question. Finally settling his weight onto both feet, he looked to the side. "I've been asked to work as the club's treasurer and supplier. My family has connections that allow the club to get their hands on things like kimonos and shamisens."

This made sense. And here Yakumo thought that he had something to do with 'the true meaning of the club'. But if that is all that he is doing, why did he shift and avert his eyes?

"Have your walks to and from school been safe and pleasant?" Karasuma suddenly asked, distracting Yakumo. "That is to say, have you been bothered in any way by those men? I've informed the school and the police about what happened. I imagine that all five of them are in jail or juvenile detention somewhere."

Yakumo blinked twice. "I haven't seen them at all. I've changed the path I usually take when walking home. Have you seen them?"

Karasuma shook his head once. "No. But that doesn't mean that they aren't out there. It..."

When Karasuma cut off, Yakumo found herself nearly hanging on his words. Blushing, she also began to avert her gaze. "It...?"

"It really isn't my place but it may be beneficial to you if you were to carry some form of protection. I'm sure that the local police department can spare a can of pepper spray for you."

"And one for Tenma?" Yakumo asked, feeling as if it were her duty to remind him of the existence of her sister. "My sister would need one too."

Surprisingly, Karasuma smiled. Just a small smile, a lot like the one he had on his face the day he saved Yakumo and walked her home. "Yes, I'm sure they can spare two. The school doors will be closing in a few minutes. I believe we should be on our way. Good day young Miss. Tsukamoto."

It was only after Karasuma had left the area that Yakumo realized her face was burning. Reaching up to touch her hot cheek, she was astounded. Why was she blushing? Feeling her face heat up more, Yakumo quickly left the school, her bag in hand.

By Sunday afternoon, Yakumo had tired herself with research and exhausted herself with dance. As she worked to perfect her solo routine, she began to ache in places she had never ached before. Anyone who wears a kimono for a living knows that it can cause chaffing on the inside of your thighs. Because the legs are so close together within a kimono, even walking can become painful.

As Sunday afternoon practice was drawing to a close, Yakumo sat on the edge of the stage with her kimono hiked to nearly her hips, an ice pack that was kindly given to her by the club assistant resting between her thighs. Sighing in relief, Yakumo was so far into a relaxed state that it took her a moment to realize someone was messing with her hair.

"What are you doing?" She asked as Eri sama began to brush through her hair and lift it into an elaborately styled bun near the top of her head.

"You have to begin choosing a style for your hair. It's not nearly as important for tomorrow but you'll need something selected by the time the club opens." Yakumo then noticed that many of the club members were either having their hair done or doing it themselves. When Eri sama had finished Yakumo's hair, she began to sort through hair ornaments. "What color kimono are you wearing for your solo? The white ones with gold butterflies sitting on the table right there are for the group performance."

"Do I have to provide my own?" Yakumo asked.

Pointing to a table of boxes, Eri sama went to help someone else with their hair. Yakumo reluctantly placed the ice pack to the side and went to pick out a kimono. Choosing a cerulean and medium blue kimono with white sakura flowers and a white under robe plus white obi, Yakumo returned to Eri sama for her hair ornament.

"Good kimono choice. I watched your solo routine. It creates a good story and this kimono suits it."

Yesterday, as everyone had been practicing, mother had explained that the dances they performed all told stories. Each movement meant something. With that knowledge, Yakumo had done quite a bit of research so that her routine had a good story. As she performed it for everyone Sunday, Yakumo finally felt the pieces fall into place.

Her dance was similar to one she read about online. It told the story of the sea and how it fell in love with the rain. The two were destined to spend their existence apart. But every time that the rain fell, the two could spend a few precious hours together. Years later, there was a terrible drought. When the rain did not come for many moons, the sea locked away her heart. So when the rain did finally come, there would always be a dark storm in the midst of the waters, showing that the sea had never truly forgiven the rain.

Eri sama chose a pearl white hair comb with a large dark blue gem and dark blue pearl drop ribbons that trailed about a foot and placed it into the base of Yakumo's bun. "She's ready for makeup!"

Before Yakumo could even blink, Eri sama had stood and mother had taken her place. Mother undid the obi on Yakumo's kimono and pulled down the sleeves until the collar was resting near her elbows. With a basket of different cosmetics in hand, mother began to smear something on Yakumo's face.

"What is this? It feels sticky." Yakumo tried to say as mother put some of it on her lips.

"Wax. It will hold the white makeup in place. You know how a Geisha styles her makeup? We're all fixing our faces up like that for the recital. We want to apply it tonight as well so you can find a makeup style that works best with your face shape. After I finish, I'll take a photograph so that you can always replicate it."

When the wax had been smeared on Yakumo's face, chest and upper back, she began to paint the white makeup on. It felt cold on Yakumo's heated face. Dancing really made a person sweat. Considering how much everyone would perspire during the recital, she realized why the wax was necessary.

Next, mother took a small paint brush and began to paint Yakumo's back. Using a nearby mirror, Yakumo was able to see that two thin slits of skin, along with the part of Yakumo's neck closest to the hairline, had not been painted. If she had not seen this exact pattern on the backs of the geisha in the online videos, she would have no idea what this design was for. According to a specific site, it was almost considered a sexual sign. Something pleasing to the eye for the audience to admire.

Quickly doing her eye makeup for her, mother used a very tiny brush to paint a pair of small, dark red lips. Yakumo's lips were small on their own. But with the use of the red paint against the white background, they took on almost a tulip shape.

When her makeup was finished, mother instructed Yakumo to put on her kimono that she will wear for her solo. Putting on her kimono quickly, she was confused when mother yanked down the back of it.

"That design I painted on your back must be visible." Mother helped her fashion the kimono in a different way, leaving nearly four inches of Yakumo's back visible when it was finally folded over and tied together with the pearl white obi and blue obijime string. "Go get your photograph taken by my assistant."

"Yakumo!" Sarah called as she was scurrying over to a small photo taking area in the corner of the room.

Pausing, Sarah looked at her friend in awe. Sarah's makeup style was nearly an exact mirror of Yakumo's but her hair was a lot more elaborate. Her long blonde hair had been braided and twisted at the top, leaving a thick ribbon of it trailing over her shoulder. At the top of her head, three long white and pink pearl streamers hung from a bamboo stick at the base of her hair.

"You look amazing Sarah." Yakumo said sincerely.

"So do you. Look at the Matsumoto sisters though." Sarah said the last part quietly before discretely pointing to the two sisters.

Yakumo's painted eyes widened. They both looked incredible. Unlike Yakumo and Sarah, both of the Matsumoto sisters had a signature thing that set them apart from the others. Instead of red dots in the corner of Maki's eyes, she had green ones that blended nicely into her aqua colored eyeliner. Yumi had blended pink into her red lip color so that it took on nearly a flaming pink color that matched the hot pink dots in the outer corners of each of her eyes.

"Are they allowed to do that?" Yakumo asked.

"Tsukamoto? You're next." The club's assistant said.

Rushing over the the corner of the room, Yakumo knelt on the floor in front of the backdrop and relaxed her face for the photo. After a couple pictures were taken with the Polaroid camera . A copy was handed to Yakumo.

"Alright everyone!" Eri sama called. "Finish getting your pictures taken and then change back into your uniforms after washing your makeup off! There's wash bowls sitting on the table near the dressing room!"

"Finally." Yakumo whispered. The final rehearsal had taken four hours, much longer than Yakumo had planned for.

Removing her makeup and placing her daily and recital kimonos in her cubby, Yakumo left the school and hurried home to Tenma.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'M REALLY SEEING POTENTIAL IN THIS STORY. THE PLOT IS THICKENING, I'M CHALK FULL OF IDEAS. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU ALL WHAT I HAVE PLANNED. BUT IF I TELL YOU NOW, IT'LL RUIN THE SURPRISE.**

**!I'LL GIVE YOU ONE LITTLE HINT THOUGH. THE HOSTESS CLUB TREASURER WILL BE IN THE AUDIENCE AT THE RECITAL.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SCHOOL RUMBLE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. PLEASE ENJOY!**

**Chapter 7**

"Places! Places!" Eri sama yelled as each girl ran to her starting position behind the curtain. Yakumo, who had been peaking through the curtain at the audience, was the last to take her place. She felt very out of sorts in her elaborate attire. The makeup on her face and the ornament in her hair made her feel very heavy.

Yakumo would have loved to be at home right now if not for who was in the audience. Since Tenma is a good friend of the two club presidents, they allowed her to attend the performance. Other than her sister, who had taken a seat at one of the front row traditional tables, Yakumo had also caught sight of Harima, the head vice principal and even Karasuma.

Mother chose that time to walk to the front of the group and give everyone all meaningful looks. "This is it. This performance will determine whether or not you stay in the club. If you mess up the choreography, it will tell me that you didn't care enough about this club to properly practice. Do your absolute best. I know you all can."

Mother slipped through the small crack in the curtains and began speaking to the audience. After announcing the name of each member of the club and giving a short description of what the group dance was to be about, the lights dimmed and the curtain parted. As the stage lights lit and the music played, the dance began.

Finding that place of comfort in her mind, Yakumo breezed through it. She was thankful that she didn't have to practice with fans for neither the group nor solo performance since the class was just beginning to learn dance. As everyone froze in their respective poses at the end of the song, Yakumo felt a smile tugging at her lips as the crowd began to applaud. Fighting it, she regained her composer. One of the top behavior rules was to never show emotion during dance. If you must show any, be expressive with your eyes. The painted mask must always keep the same expression.

As soon as the curtain fell, Yakumo and the other four soloists rushed to the wings to change kimonos. Once Sarah helped Yakumo tie her white obi in the pillbox shape she had to use for her dance, Yakumo removed the pink and white pearl hair ornament and put on her blue pearl drop hair ornament.

"Good luck." Sarah whispered as Yakumo went to stand in the wings as Maki opened the solo performances. What little of her dance Yakumo had seen during final rehearsal did not do it justice. As Maki finished up her routine, Yakumo heard the audience burst into loud applause and chatter. They were as taken with her dance as Yakumo had been.

Taking the stage next was Yumi Matsumoto. Although Yumi's routine was beautiful, Yakumo felt a little unsure of some of her movements. The way she swayed her hips and pushed aside the bottom hem of her kimono to show her leg wasn't very traditional.

"Wow. Can you believe her?" Yakumo heard someone say. Turning to her left, she saw Emiko Hanaka.

The short statured girl had completely transformed for tonight's performance. Her glasses were gone and her shoulder length hair was cut into a hime cut that ended a couple inches below her ears. Tiny stick on clear gems had been put on her face, right below her eyes. They reflected off the littlest bits of light, causing attention to be drawn to her metallic gray eyes.

"She's very comfortable being in the spotlight." Yakumo said quietly.

"So am I." Emiko said with a slight smirk before walking to center stage as Yumi rushed past.

"You're up next." Eri sama whispered to Yakumo. "And Kimi will go after."

As Emiko was completing her routine, she finished with the graceful open-armed bow that Yakumo had planned on using. Yakumo felt a chill. She had watched all the solo routines and had purposefully chosen moves nobody else was using. She also knew that Emiko had not finished her routine that way before. Had she stolen one of Yakumo's moves? What would she do? If she did the same move, everyone would assume she had copied Emiko.

"Go!" Eri sama whispered. "Emiko is off stage!"

Yakumo did not have to work to control her expression as she hurried to center stage. Knowing that she had been robbed of her ending move, she felt very numb. Yakumo tended to become very nervous under pressure. When it came time to end her routine, would she freeze?

Taking a deep breath, she found that safe place inside her mind and decided to go with the flow. When the music began, the audience went deathly silent. With one one hand resting at her side and the other outstretched, Yakumo stepped into her dance.

Yakumo had been so lost in the music that she was unaware of what she was doing until the music drew to a close and the audience burst into deafening applause. Blinking, she realized that she had found her ending pose. She had fallen to her knees with her back to the audience and had bent backwards with her hands falling together before her, causing her to view the audience upside down. If she bent just an inch more, the top of her head would hit the floor.

Lifting herself up slowly, Yakumo spun around and rose to her feet before bowing to the audience and exiting. Even after Yakumo had disappeared into the wings, the audience was still cheering. As Kimi walked onstage to perform her solo, Yakumo felt someone grab a hold of her arm and jerk her to the side.

"What was that?" Eri sama asked, her expression making her come across as slightly amazed.

"What was what?" Yakumo murmured, her face feeling heated. What about her routine had made everyone act this way?

"That ending move. The back arch thing. Where did you learn the flexibility to do that?" Eri sama demanded.

Yakumo shyly looked to her feet. "I learned it in gymnastics when I was still a child in elementary school.

"Eri." Mother called, ending her interrogation. "Come here for a moment."

Releasing Yakumo's arm, Eri sama went to stand with mother, allowing Yakumo to catch the last twenty seconds of Kimi's routine. She had a very graceful way of dancing and something about it really stood out, though Yakumo couldn't figure out what about her performance really drew her in.

When Kimi had finished her routine, mother and Eri sama surprised everyone by walking on stage in elaborate furisode kimonos, their hair and makeup done up like everyone else's. With mother in her jade green kimono and Eri sama in her light pink one, they performed an intricate dance that had everyone, including all of the watchers in the wings, applauding.

"They're amazing. This is exactly why I agreed to be both a member and an assistant for this club." mother's assistant said with a smile. "I can't wait to learn to dance like that. If we don't stay on mother's good side, we never will."

Yakumo smiled at the brunette, charcoal eyed girl. "What's your name?"

"Mina Hanasaki." She said with a bright smile, causing the makeup at the corners of her mouth to crack.

"I'm Yakumo Tsukamoto."

As mother and Eri sama finished their routine and exited center stage, they began to shoo us out of the curtain to the side. "There's a formal reception. Go off stage and stand in front of it until I call for you."

When Yakumo walked out of the curtains, she had to squint her eyes for a second. The lights in the room had been turned on once more, making it very bright. When everyone stood and began to applaud once more, Yakumo felt her face flush once again.

"That was beautiful Akira san, Eri san. You put together a spectacular performance." Head vice principal Izanagi said cheerfully.

Mother and Eri sama bowed their heads. "Thank you sir."

The next to approach was Tenma. She was practically grinning for ear to ear. "That was great! You guys were so incredible! Especially you Yakumo! Way to go big sis!"

Eri sama smiled confidently. "Thank you Tenma. I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. Be sure to talk about how great everyone was to any boys who talk to you. We want everyone to know."

Next up was Karasuma. He handed a small digital camera to mother. "I finished filming."

"Good. I'll look over the footage and then you can put it onto DVD tonight." Mother told him. "What did you think of the performance."

"I liked it. You're all very talented." He said simply, not a trace of emotion on his face. He did, however, scan the crowd of girls. When he caught sight of Yakumo, he did little more than blink twice at her and walk off. Most would assume he had just blinked at random. Anyone who knew Karasuma knew that this was a sign of recognition, a way for him to discretely single her out of the crowd and give attention to her existence there.

This small scene, which had taken little more than a second to transpire, did cause mother and Eri sama to both look back and give Yakumo a pointed stare, as if they were unsure of how to react to what just happened.

"Are you friends with the treasurer?" Eri sama asked.

Yakumo shook her head. "Little more than acquaintances. He's more associated with Tenma."

"Yes, we know that." Mother said with a sigh.

Dropping the subject, mother and Eri sama talked to several more people before allowing the girls to lock themselves in the side room and change. Using a few wet napkins that Yakumo had thought to bring, she removed her makeup as best she could and put back on the jeans and blouse that she had worn before the performance.

"You were incredible." Sarah told Yakumo. "When you did that back bend on your knees and didn't support any of your weight on your hands, I was amazed. I think we all were."

"Are you tired at all?" Yakumo asked her. "If not, would you want to go out to eat with me and Tenma. The check for this month arrived and they gave us more than usual. Apparently we're entitled to a lot more money now that Tenma is looking into colleges for Fall."

Sarah sighed. "I wish. But I promised that I'd return to the chapel to help clean up. There was some sort of party going on near the church and a rock was flung through one of the stained glass windows."

"That's terrible. Which window?" Yakumo asked.

"Luckily, not any of the really ornate ones at the front. Just one of the floral ones. Maybe you and I can go out to lunch together Saturday? There's no school because of Parent/Teacher Conferences."

As soon as mother and Eri sama had showed out the guests, the club members were allowed to leave next. As they all left the side room, mother said something that caused Yakumo's eyes to widen. "Most of you did well. There was, however, one of you that disappointed me. I'll be letting one of you go tomorrow. Be prepared."

"Oh no..." Sarah said quietly. "I stumbled during the group performance. I was doing so well and then suddenly someone next to me swung her hand out too soon and I jumped and stumbled. What if they kick me out?"

Yakumo put an arm around Sarah. "Please don't worry. They'll probably ban the girl that put her hand out too early. You were doing great and she messed you up."

She remembered catching that blunder out of the corner of her eye and she knew that it was Rin who swung her arm out too early and caused Sarah to stumble. Rin was already on probation. Chances are, she would be forced to leave the club.

"You really think so?" Sarah asked quietly as they approached a waiting Tenma.

"I really do. I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest."

"You too."

"Where are we going to eat?" Tenma asked excitedly as the two siblings left school grounds. "You were amazing by the way! Really awesome!"

Yakumo ignored her sister's praise, embarrassed by the extra attention. "There's that curry and noodle shop up the road. You like their soba noodles, right?"

"Yes! Soba noodles! We're gonna eat soba noooooooodlllessss! We're gonna have lots of soy sauce and plenty of spiiiiiiceeee! Not too much spice though! My tongue would burn oooffffff!" Tenma sang loudly, causing the people around them to stare.

"Is that Karasuma?" Yakumo asked, both to distract her sister from singing and because she had really saw Karasuma enter the same restaurant they were about to enter.

"Huh? It is! Hey! Karasuma!" Tenma ran up to Karasuma and stood beside him in line. Catching up to them, they all waited by the door for an available seat.

"Miss. Tsukamoto. You were at the recital as well?" Karasuma asked Tenma. "What did you think of it?"

Tenma beamed at the attention Karasuma was giving her. "It was wonderful! I got to see lots of my friends perform and even my baby sister!"

"Table for three?" A waitress asked politely.

Tenma looked to Karasuma. "Would you like to share a table with Yakumo and I? We can go Swiss."

Yakumo tapped her sister's shoulder. "Sis? I think the correct expression is going Dutch."

"I'd love to." Karasuma said quietly.

As the three took a seat at a table near the large display window, Yakumo felt uncomfortable in the situation. Tenma was talking ninety to nothing while Karasuma stared back at Tenma blankly and Yakumo kept to herself. Had the club started teaching them the conversational part of their syllabus, she may have been able to hold her own.

"You've got to try their soba noodles next time you come here Karasuma. I've tried their curry before and it's good too but soba rocks! Did you know that Yakumo makes the best curry ever? Especially during Christmas. Her special Christmas curry is beyond words!"

Blushing, Yakumo put all of her focus into the plate of curry that was just placed in front of her. Had she looked up at Karasuma just then, she would have seen a brief look of curiosity and evaluation flit through his eyes.

"That was delicious!" Tenma exclaimed after a long sigh. "What do you want to do next Karasuma? I think the indoor shopping center is still open for a while longer."

"But sis...We have school tomorrow. We should get home." Yakumo whispered but Tenma could not be dissuaded tonight.

"Just for a while Yakumo! Don't be such a stick in the mud!" Tenma griped. "Does that sound like fun, Karasuma?"

Karasuma looked down at his empty plate of curry quickly, then to Yakumo and finally to Tenma. "I can spare half an hour if it doesn't inconvenience either of you."

"Not one bit!" Tenma assured him as the three stood and paid for their meals.

Yakumo sighed. Why did Tenma have to be so difficult? Yakumo has been on her feet since very early this morning. First with cleaning the house and then with showing up to the school early to help decorate and prepare herself for the performance.

'But it is just a half hour.' Yakumo assured herself. 'In a little over half an hour, you'll be able to sleep.'

The nearest shopping center was located on the next street over. It wasn't the largest in Tokyo by far, but it did contain fifty stores that sold everything from designer brand jeans to pots and pans. As Tenma took hold of Karasuma's arm and pulled him towards a pet store, Yakumo admired a group of elderly women walking by in traditional kimonos and geta.

As Yakumo walked into the pet store to find her sister, she froze. The tiny pet shop was void of any customers. Where had Tenma and Karasuma gone? Scanning the crowd of people that walked around her, Yakumo searched everywhere for her sister.

"Looking for someone?"

Jumping, Yakumo peered to her side, in the direction of the vaguely familiar voice. "Vice Principal Izanagi?"

"In the flesh." He said with a wide grin, showing off all his teeth. "You were the fourth soloist performer in the recital this evening, yes?"

Looking frantically for her sister out of the corner of her eye, Yakumo nodded. "Yes sir. You could tell?"

He laughed. "Not hardly. I had to have Akira san point you out after the performance. You did a spectacular job."

"Thank you sir. I really need to be finding my sister."

"Allow me to escort you." He offered and began walking in the direction Yakumo had been heading before even asking.

"Sir, this is really unnecessary." Yakumo tried to say as she caught up to him but he didn't seem to hear her.

Before the two could even pass a full three shops, Yakumo saw something that made her pause. Hanging in the window of a large kimono shop was a silk furisode kimono. The fabric was a brilliant red which had a sort of dusty white design a foot from the bottom hem with one large butterfly painted in the middle of the white. The long, dangling sleeves were halfway painted dusty white and adorned with small golden butterflies. Resting on the wooden floor of the display window, just below the kimono, was a heavy golden brocade obi with deep red orchids painted elaborately at both the middle and each end.

"It's stunning, isn't it?" Vice Principal Izanagi asked and Yakumo couldn't help but nod in agreement. Since she joined the Hostess Club, Yakumo had done quite a bit of research on everything from the way a Geisha dances to how she dresses. The kimonos that Yakumo had been permitted to wear herself, while all beautiful, did not compare to this work of art. "I believe your friends have found you."

Sure enough, Yakumo caught sight of a frantically waving Tenma running this way while Karasuma calmly walked behind her. "Sis? Where did you go?"

Tenma hugged Yakumo when she reached her. "We went to buy something from a vender. Where did you go? We were looking all over for you!"

"I better get going." Karasuma said suddenly. "I will see you in class tomorrow Miss. Tsukamoto."

Giving both girls a nod, Karasuma disappeared into the crowd. By the time Yakumo had taken her eyes off the place in the crowd Karasuma had entered, Vice Principal Izanagi was nowhere to be found.

"Ghost?" Yakumo called as she crawled into bed later that night. The ghost had said that she'd return after the recital but, so far, Yakumo had not seen her. "Ghost?"

"Sis? Who are you calling for?" Tenma asked from the other side of Yakumo's closed bedroom door.

Blushing, Yakumo pulled the covers up to her ears and closed her eyes. "No one sis. Goodnight."


	8. Chapter 8

**I AM HAVING A BLAST WRITING THIS STORY. AT FIRST, I HAD VERY LITTLE INSPIRATION AND LITTLE MORE THAN A VAGUE IDEA OF WHAT I WANTED TO SEE HAPPEN IN THIS FANFIC. BUT AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF THOUGHT, I SEE EXACTLY WHERE I WANT THIS STORY TO GO. I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: REFER TO CHAPTER ONE DISCLAIMER. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 8**

"I know who mother is banning from the club." Sarah told Yakumo as the two finished dressing in their uniform kimonos.

"Who?"

"Rin, the one on probation." Sarah whispered and took a seat at one of the tables near the front of the room.

"How do you know?" Yakumo asked, relieved that mother hadn't decided to kick Sarah out for stumbling. It hadn't been her fault in the first place, it had been Rin's for throwing her arm in front of Sarah because she was a beat off during the group routine during last night's recital.

"Look around you." She said quietly. "Everyone is here except Rin."

"Look." Someone said as the door slid open and three girls walked in the room with mother and Eri sama.

"As you all know, Rin is no longer a member of this club." Eri sama told the class as the three girls took a seat on the floor to the left of the stage. "For today, these three will be observing the class. Tomorrow, one of them will become the member that replaces Rin."

Yakumo did not recognize any of the girls except for one. The one with dark green hair, she believed to be Karen Ichijo from her sister's class.

"Today, you will begin dressing in furisode kimonos." Mother said before holding both her arms out to either side of her. "A furisode is like a yukata, only the sleeves are twice as long and it is meant to trail behind you when worn in a certain style. If you ever are told to leave the room in your kimono, you will be asked to keep it from touching the ground. The tatami mats are the only thing the hems of these expensive items can touch."

"The way you style your obis will also change." Eri sama said. "You will now style your obis in the darari musubi style. Meaning it will trail in ribbons from your shoulder blades to below your knees."

"Sarah? Come forward." Mother commanded. Looking slightly afraid, Sarah stood and approached mother. As mother had Sarah turn and face the crowd, Eri sama brought forward a pile of silk. "Take off your obi and kimono but keep on your under robe.

Doing as she was told, Sarah handed her yukata and obi to the club's assistant, Mina. When mother unfolded the orange, silk furisode kimono with the golden flower design, Sarah's fear was replaced with slight excitement. Every member in the club knew that they would one day get to wear a more formal kimono but were unsure of when. Now that it was happening, everyone was determined to watch mother's every move, including the three observers.

Once the kimono was placed on Sarah and tied into place with a koshi himo knot, mother began to wrap the heavy looking obi around her midsection. When mother started to pull at the fabric and tighten it around Sarah, she gasped.

"A kimono this heavy must be put on as tightly as possible to keep it from falling." Mother explained. "It will also be held in place by obijime cords. I want you all to know that this club will be asking for more of your time when we begin taking customers. It takes twice as long to tie an obi this way and even longer to properly apply your makeup and style your hair. It is not demanded of you, but it is advised, that you start styling your hair before school and wear it that way all day. I will give you no longer than half an hour to prepare yourself."

"Because of the complexity of the shape of the obi knot, mother and I also suggest assigning someone to tie it for you once we teach you." Eri sama told us. "Watch carefully."

Twenty minutes later, mother had finished properly tying the obi and adjusting the kimono. "Sarah, walk back to your seat, sit, stand and then approach me again."

Confused, Sarah did as mother said. Yakumo could tell she was a little shaky in her movements due to the way the kimono trailed at her feet and obi weighed her back down. When she made it back to mother, she stumbled forward. "It's hard."

"Yes it is. Everyone, you are now going to be given new uniform kimonos to wear, along with new under robes and obis. Luckily, they are not quite as heavy as this formal furisode. They are sitting on the table in the back. Go get your new uniform and change into it now. You only have forty minutes left to dress and practice moving in the kimono."

Yakumo stood once everyone else had began making their way to the back, not wanting to get in anyone's way. It took her little to no time in the club to know that there was an unspoken seniority. Maki and Yumi were always permitted to do things first since they were veterans of the abolished Beauty Club.

Finally gathering her own uniform, Yakumo quickly unfolded it and admired the design. The fabric itself was a bright rose red. The design was white blossoms with a few blue and pink ones. The blossoms covered almost the entire kimono, from the shoulders to the hems of the sleeves and length of the fabric. The obi was white with blue, pink, red and green floral designs, the underrobe itself was white with a red collar.

"Quickly put it on!" Eri sama demanded when Yakumo still hadn't stopped staring at it.

Quickly removing her obi, yukata and under robe, she dressed as quickly as possible in everything that she could single-handedly put on. When her koshi himo was tied around the kimono to keep it closed, Yakumo pulled at the collar and the hem, making sure that enough of her neck was visible and that it trailed the floor enough.

"Good, good. You all seem to have put it on right." Mother murmured as she began helping someone tie their obi.

"I've worn this sort of kimono and obi before." Sarah told Yakumo. "I can tie yours for you."

"I'm starting to fear that I might fall on my face in front of the customers." Yakumo whispered as Sarah helped her tie the obi.

"Don't worry. It just takes practice. You've got at least a week. Hold onto the front around your waist and keep it in place."

When Sarah began to tighten the obi, Yakumo understood why Sarah had gasped earlier. It acted as a corset in a way.

"Tighter than that." Eri sama ordered when Sarah had begun to finish the knot. "If it falls off her, it might get damaged."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah whispered before pulling the fabric even tighter around Yakumo. Before Yakumo could begin to feel too lightheaded, Sarah finished tying the obi and started to tie two obijime cords around the middle of it. "Done!"

Taking as deep of a breath as she could, Yakumo began to practice walking around the room like the others. "It's harder than I thought it would be." Yakumo told Sarah as she caught up to her.

"Now, practice sitting, standing and bowing." Mother told everyone as she went to take her seat on the stage. "You are not to leave this room until you can do all three without stumbling. If you rip the hem of your kimonos or the sleeves, you will be made to pay for its repair.

Bending down, Yakumo smoothed the kimono over her knees and rested herself on her legs. As she was standing, Yakumo saw Eri sama walk on stage and kneel next to mother.

"Should we tell them?" She murmured. If Yakumo had been any farther away, she wouldn't have heard their conversation.

"They need to practice more before we announce that. I'm still not sure who will be ready."

"The Matsumoto sisters seem capable enough." Eri sama insisted.

"We can't put our faith in only two members." Mother nearly shouted. Yakumo nearly flinched. She had never seen Tenma's friend lose her temper.

Eri sama bowed her head. "I'm only thinking of the time. If we wait, how will they be ready? There's the opening dance to teach them and none of them have even picked up a shamisen."

"I'm aware of that. So far, I'm putting my money on the Matsumoto sisters and that Emiko girl. They seem like they're learning fast enough."

"And Tsukamoto? She brought the crowd to their knees yesterday."

"I want to wait to introduce her and a few others. We don't want to present all the best ones at first." Mother said as if it should be obvious.

Eri sama smirked. "I knew you had a plan. Tell me."

"Start off with five. Two amazing ones, two average and one very poor. How will the customers be able to tell if someone is truly talented unless there is a poor example to compare her to?"

"Ah, I see. And then when we bring out another star, it causes the others to try twice as hard. But with ten apprentices and only us as full hostesses, it seems like it will not work very well."

"Yes, I know. According to the feedback the treasurer is giving me, we're getting a lot of attention. If thirty people come to the opening event and we only have five hostesses, it will wear them out and make all of them desired. We want to have enough hostesses that it's easy to get one to your table but difficult to get specific ones."

Eri sama tapped her chin. "What if we only open the club to those we give invitations to. Say we open it to ten or twenty."

"Twelve." Mother said. "We will give invitations to twelve. Most of the people we plan on opening the club to are friends or fellow classmates. They'll choose to sit together, leaving blank tables. We don't want the place to look too empty. We have to choose wisely. We don't want to cause any of them to become enemies. Not yet anyway..."

"You should be practicing." Yumi said as she and her sister passed by Yakumo.

"Sorry." Blushing, Yakumo walked away from the stage and continued her practice.

As Yakumo attempted to practice her solo routine from the recital in her new uniform, the door slid open and Miss. Osakabe, the club's supervisor, entered. "Sorry I'm late."

Other than showing up the first day, Miss. Osakabe hadn't actually been here for any of the last meetings. She hadn't even been present for the recital. Yakumo couldn't put her finger on why, but she had a feeling that mother preferred it this way.

"Is everything alright?" Mother asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. The treasurer ran into me on my way out the door and wanted me to bring something to you."

Walking all the way into the room, Miss. Osakabe approached the stage and slid a large white envelope towards mother. "Did he say who it's from?"

"Nope." She said before walking directly from the room.

Mother had lifted the packet up, ready to open it, when she caught the whole class staring. "Time to leave. Go undress and place your new uniforms in your cubbies. Fold them correctly and be careful. There will be days when you need to wear your yukata uniforms so put those with your new uniforms. I want all of you to start styling your hair and wearing it to school that way. This is only a recommendation."

Though mother tried to pass it off as a request, something about the way she said it made Yakumo think it was a command.

The following morning, after Yakumo had dressed for school and finished brushing her teeth, she did consider styling her hair in the same fashion as the photograph that had been taken of her. Said photo was hanging on the wall next to Yakumo's vanity, reminding Yakumo of exactly what she looked like when done up to look like a geisha.

"I don't want to get in trouble with mother and Eri sama..." Yakumo tried to reason with herself as she sat at her vanity and brought out an untouched pack of bobby pins from a drawer. Wrapping her hair up the way it was done in the picture, Yakumo pinned it in place until she was sure that it would not fall down.

It was a little formal for school, though not nearly as formal as the Matsumoto sisters looked when they had their hair up. Taking the red silk ribbon that Eri sama had told her to use in her hair, Yakumo tied it in place and tucked most of it under her hair so that the knot was only visible if viewed from the back.

"Yakumo! We're gonna be late! And I thought I took the longest..."

"Coming!"

Grabbing her book bag, Yakumo exited her room and met her sister downstairs. When Tenma caught sight of her sister, her eyes widened. "Why did you do your hair up like that? It looks kind of-"

"Silly?" Yakumo guessed, her face burning.

"I was gonna say pretty. Why did you do it?"

"Mot-I mean, Takano san, says to start doing this everyday." Yakumo said.

"Well, don't let it get wet. It's raining today." Tenma told her as she pulled her little, pink umbrella from the closet.

Yakumo sighed. Of all the days. Her good umbrella had just ripped a few weeks ago. "I should have a karakasa in my room." She said, referring to her traditional lacquered umbrella.

"Well, go get it then! I want to get to talk to Karasuma before school!" Tenma complained.

"Alright sis." Fetching her red karakasa, she and her sister left the house together.

When the two had arrived at Yagami high, people who knew Yakumo began to stare right away. As the sisters entered the school and put on their school shoes, someone finally approached her.

"What's up with that?" Mikoto, one of Tenma's friends, asked. "Have they started celebrating Halloween in April?"

Yakumo blushed. "No..."

Tenma sighed. "The Hostess Club is making its members do their hair now. Stupid, huh?"

Mikoto circled around Yakumo, looking at her hair from each angle. "I don't know. Looks kind of cool. And if she's not the only one doing their hair up today, maybe people will think it's a style."

"Yakumo!" She heard Sarah yell. A second later, Sarah ran into the locker room with her hair done up too. The only difference being the part of her hair that drapes over the shoulder. Today, she had braided that part. "I've been looking all over for you. We have to get to class early. We're being surprised with a pop quiz and I need help studying."

"I'll see you later sis." Yakumo said as Sarah drug her off. As the two were walking up the nearby stairs, Sarah paused halfway to the second floor. "Actually, I just said that to get you away from people. I'm really actually supposed to tell you that you've been selected to pass out invitations to customers today during school."

Yakumo's eyes widened. Sarah lied? She never lied. She had her heart set on joining the convent at her church after graduation and always stood as a shining example for all things moral. "Why didn't you just say so in front of my sister?"

Sarah looked out the nearby window, her expression showing just how uncomfortable lying made her feel. "Mother doesn't want the club to be mentioned in front of females anymore. And once we pass out the invitations, we're only allowed to bring it up to the people who get invites and their friends. Nobody else."

"Why?" Yakumo asked, though she was fairly sure that Sarah had no idea.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that mother ran into me as I was passing the club room and asked me to tell you as soon as you got to school. She wants you to report to the club room as soon as school starts. She's already asked that you be excused from your homeroom class for the first two hours."

"I'm surprised that she wants me to pass out the invites. You'd think she'd ask Maki and Yumi to."

Sarah shrugged. "Her reasoning is that Maki and Yumi are only well known in their own year. You're pretty well known in all three years. You'll deny it like you do every time but...you're pretty popular with the boys, Yakumo. Hey, I gotta get to class. Go ahead and head to the club room."

As soon as Sarah ran up the stairs to class, Yakumo realized that she was blushing. Was that true? Was she well known in that way? A rumble of thunder broke her out of her thoughts, bringing her back to the task at hand. Running upstairs, she headed for the club room.

"There you are." Mother said with a sigh when Yakumo entered the room. The first thing Yakumo noticed was how peaceful the room was when it wasn't crowded. Mother had traditional Japanese music playing from a nearby CD player. One of the rice paper windows had been opened, allowing the sounds of rain to filter into the room. The brick awning that surrounded the roof kept any rain from flying through the window and soaking the warm tatami mats.

As soon as Yakumo had shut the door to the club room, mother pulled the lid off a lacquered box that was sitting on the stage to reveal a lavender kimono. Pulling it out, she allowed Yakumo to briefly admire it. Though it had no decorative design, the furisode was made of a very fine material. Laying the kimono carefully across the stage, mother picked up a white under robe with a red collar that was covered in lavender colored petals and laid it over the kimono.

"Take off your uniform and start applying makeup. Quickly."

Nodding, Yakumo removed her uniform and began to quickly apply her makeup. Removing her camisole, she finished painting the design on her back and allowed mother to use a blow dryer to dry the makeup.

"Are we pressed for time?" Yakumo asked, a little surprised with how quickly mother was working today.

"Yes. I promised to have you back in class at the start of third hour. Today, you are going to enter the classrooms of twelve people. You will tell them in front of everyone that they have been specially selected to become a patron of the Yagami High Hostess Club and then tell them to report to the club room right away. When they get here, I'll serve them tea. Do not return to the club room until thirty minutes after you send the final patron here. Understood? Now up. Time to get dressed."

Standing, Yakumo held out her arms and let mother dress her. "I understand that much, I just don't understand why."

"Do as your told. I don't have time to explain further." Was mother's only reply as she slipped the under robe onto Yakumo.

Half an hour later, the elaborate kimono was tied into place. Taking a silk overcoat with lavender and green colored flowers on it, mother had Yakumo put it on as lavender flowers were placed in her hair. A pair of lavender colored geta were handed to Yakumo, along with a pair of white tabi socks.

"Okay..." Yakumo said as she put on the socks carefully, trying not to mess up the way the kimono was positioned. "...I enter the room and directly approach the patron? Not the teacher?"

Mother sighed. "Approach the teacher and hand him one of these papers. It explains what you are doing there and has a pass attached that will excuse whoever you come for from class. Then approach the student and hand him an invitation. Tell him he has been specially selected to become our patron and tell him to report to the club room for tea directly. Speak in a soft voice, give them a very quick, small smile, bow your head before and after talking to them, then leave."

"Yes ma'am."

Mother handed a stack of small, light blue envelopes to Yakumo, each adorned with cherry blossom designs. Written on each envelope in what looked like fountain pen were the names of who each invite should be given to. Next, a paper with a list of names with pictures next to them was given to her.

"Do not get the invites mixed up and do not hand them to the wrong person. Present them in the order they are listed, understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"To pass time while you wait for me to finish serving tea, go to the main office and give this envelope to Vice Principal Izanagi. If he invites you to talk, accept. Do not accept his offer to go anywhere else with him. If he compliments you, allow it. If he attempts anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, quickly say goodbye and leave his office."

Handing Yakumo a stack of passes to excuse the students from class and a larger envelope for the Vice Principal, mother grabbed Yakumo's shoulders and escorted her from the room. Helping her put on her geta without tripping in the heavy kimono and obi, mother pointed in the direction of the first patron and shut her out of the room.

Taking a deep breath, Yakumo knocked on the first patron's classroom door and waited. The first name on the list was Ganji Nishimoto.

"Come in." Sliding open the door, Yakumo tried to ignore the class as they began to gawk and whisper. The teacher seemed to almost glare. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No sir." Yakumo whispered as she handed the pass and the attached note to the teacher.

Once the teacher looked over the note, he sighed. "Well, if Vice Principal Izanagi insists, I can't argue. Go ahead."

Bowing her head once again, she turned to the crowd and tried to ignore her sister, who was waving at her frantically from the back. As much as she tried not to, Yakumo couldn't help but notice that Karasuma was not in class at the moment. Stopping in front of Ganji Nishimoto's desk, Yakumo bowed her head and presented the small envelope, causing the entire class to resume their whispering. Nishimoto himself stared at her with wide eyes, reminding Yakumo of someone in awe.

"On behalf of the Hostess Club, I would like to congratulate you on being one of the selected patrons." She said softly. "If it pleases you, please adjourn to room B10 for tea with mother and the other accepted patrons."

Giving him a small smile, Yakumo bowed and exited the room. As she handed out each invitation, Yakumo felt more and more self-conscious. She had never been stared at so much in her life. On her way to deliver her final invite, she glanced at the paper for the room number and finally took notice of just who this invite was going to.

Oji Karasuma. With only the stark white makeup hiding her blush, Yakumo hurried to the first floor and exited the North building. Walking through the hallway, surrounded by glass windows and ceiling, Yakumo entered the West building and knocked on classroom D8.

"Come in!" A girl called.

When she opened the door, Yakumo saw that it was not a classroom, but a band room. All of the desks had been pushed back to make room with a set of drums, a microphone and a few guitars that were resting on stands. Standing near the instruments were a few students, Karasuma among them.

The girl who had spoken stared at Yakumo with wide eyes. "Nice outfit. If this has to do with any of us being out of class, we got permission to practice today because we have a performance tonight."

"I am here to present an invitation to Oji Karasuma on behalf of the Hostess Club." Yakumo explained, wondering if she should be talking this much to anyone but the patron. She hoped mother wouldn't mind.

Karasuma stepped forward and accepted the invitation that Yakumo had in her outstretched hand. "Thank you."

Yakumo bowed. "The Hostess Club would like to congratulate you on being one of the twelve selected patrons. If it would please you, please adjourn to room B10 for tea with mother and the other patrons."

"Thank you." Karasuma repeated, one eyebrow raised to show his slight surprise.

As Yakumo bowed her head and left the room, she wondered why she had to give him an invitation. If he was the club's treasurer, why was he a customer too? Standing in the glass hallway with the large envelope in hand, Yakumo watched the rain as Karasuma passed by her, on his way to the club room. Giving her a nod, he entered the North building and left Yakumo's sight.


	9. Chapter 9

**AS I WRITE CHAPTER NINE, I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSES TO CHAPTERS 1 AND 2. I'D LOVE TO RECEIVE A REVIEW, ASKING ME TO CONTINUE OR EVEN SOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.**

**PLEASE ENJOY THIS NEXT CHAPTER! :)**

**Chapter 9**

"Young lady, can I help you? Is there a reason for being dressed that way?" The secretary asked as Yakumo entered the main office.

"It's alright, she's here to see me about her club." Vice Principal Izanagi said. Luckily, he had been retrieving something from the printer outside of his office and was there to save Yakumo from making up a reason for being there. Tucking the envelope under her arm, Yakumo followed the principal into his office. "Hello. What did you say your name was again?"

"Yakumo Tsukamoto, sir." She murmured as the two took their respective seats across from one another. "I have another envelope for you."

With a smile, he took the envelope and began to open it right in front of Yakumo. "Would you like something to drink? I have a bottle of lemon tea left."

"Thank you." She said as he handed the bottle to her. Normally, she'd refuse. But since she's been walking all over the school, the cold drink would help her feel a little less hot and exhausted.

If mother had not told her to accept his offer to stay, she wouldn't have. The second mother had warned her not to accept offers to go anywhere else with him, Yakumo knew that she couldn't trust this man. As Yakumo carefully took a sip of tea, trying not to ruin her makeup, she examined the papers that were being taken from the envelope. From what she could tell, it was a stack of papers, some photographs of all the girls in the club and a blank check.

"She sends an awful lot of these, huh? This is the second one you've had to take to me. It's just in Akira's nature to be thorough, don't you think?"

Yakumo didn't respond. Both because she was uncomfortable and because she wasn't sure if his question was rhetorical or not. She tried to keep all emotion off her face when she thought of how he referred to mother. It was extremely inappropriate for a teacher to refer to a student by their first name with no suffix unless they were acquainted outside of school. The way Vice Principal Izanagi referred to mother, you'd think he knew her very well.

"If you don't mind me saying, you look very beautiful in your kimono. Light colors suit you but I have a feeling you'd look very stunning in something a bit darker, to compliment your eyes."

"Thank you." She whispered, her eyes glued to the drink in her hands. After spending so long sitting on her legs, her legs had stopped hurting and now had grown accustomed to it. Sitting in the metal chair, she wished that it wouldn't be inappropriate to sit on the floor beside the desk.

"You're an apprentice, am I right?" He asked.

"Yes sir."

"I thought so. I could tell by the colors. Apprentice geisha always wear the most eye drawing kimonos. Have you enjoyed your time in the club so far?"

"Yes sir. Forgive me...I believe that mother is expecting me back by now."

He held up a hand and stood. "Say no more. It was a pleasure to talk with you. Let Akira know that this pleased me."

Unsure of what exactly he meant, Yakumo quickly stood, bowed her head and exited the room. When she was in the hall, outside of the main office, she took a deep breath. She still had about ten minutes before she would be expected back in the club room. Should she wait outside the door? Figuring it was as good a plan as any, Yakumo walked upstairs and sat in one of the two chairs outside of the main club room door.

"Akira san, I must say, you've created a masterpiece." Yakumo heard Nishimoto, the large, Buddha-like boy say. "You've planned it all perfectly. I'm honored to be one of the first chosen."

"I'm glad you feel that way Buddha Nishimoto. Any other questions or concerns?" Mother said softly.

"Yeah, who are the girls that are going to be entertaining next week?" Someone else asked.

"I'll have one of my girls send you all packages with pictures of them once I have some taken. Does this please you? Good. Now you all must return to class. We don't want anyone getting suspicious. Enjoy the rest of your day, gentlemen."

When Yakumo heard them all stand and shuffle towards the door, she quickly stood and hurried to the end of the hall as fast as the kimono would allow. Peering around the corner, she watched them all exit the room. Strangely, Karasuma wasn't in the group.

When all of the men had exited, Yakumo entered the room. Mother, who was just taking her seat at the table on stage, looked slightly startled. "Were you waiting outside the room this whole time?"

Yakumo shook her had quickly and shut the door. "No ma'am. I've just arrived. I did notice that Karasuma san was not in the bunch that left. Did he not show up?"

Mother unclipped the floral hair ornament from her hair. "No, he showed up. Go change. You have class."

Quickly changing out of her kimono, Yakumo used a hot rag to properly remove her makeup from her face, neck, chest and back. As she worked, she told mother the message Vice Principal Izanagi wanted her to pass along. When she had finished putting on her uniform and was heading for the door, something on the floor caught her attention.

Yakumo glanced at mother, who had her back to her and her focus on some papers on the table. Quickly picking up the two things on the floor, Yakumo fled the room and hurried down the hall. Stopping by a window, Yakumo held the two pieces up. Eyes wide, Yakumo realized that it was Oji Karasuma's invitation, ripped in half.

For the remainder of the day, Yakumo tried and failed to fathom why Karasuma would rip his invitation in half and leave the room. Or had mother ripped it and forced him to leave? Confused, she tried to forget all about the Hostess Club and put all her focus into her work.

"Hey, check out the picture my friend sent me." A student to Yakumo's right whispered and handed his phone to the girl sitting in front of her. Since Yakumo was nearly taller than her, she was able to see over her shoulder. The picture on the phone's screen was of Yakumo when she dressed up this morning. In the picture, she was staring into space, her face emotionless, giving the perfect Noh mask affect. "Can you tell who it is?"

The girl shrugged. "Tough to say. She's all fixed up. Her eyes are red. Does that help?"

"Wait, look at the girl behind you. That hair. Hey, are you the girl in this pic?" The guy asked Yakumo.

Looking down at her notes, Yakumo nodded her head and refused to look up for the remainder of class.

"You look nervous." Sarah said after the final bell rang a minute later and the two met up in the hall.

Yakumo smiled. "Just a little. It was strange dressing up and walking all over the school. I got lots of stares."

"You might start getting more. That recital video the treasurer put together for mother? Someone who bought it put it on the school website. The entire time you were gone from class, I heard these two guys talking about 'the crazy flexible girl' from the video."

Yakumo wished her hair were not done up, otherwise she could hide her face in it. Quickly rushing into the club's side room, the two dressed in their furisode kimonos as quickly as possible and entered the main room. When Yakumo had taken her seat, she noticed the new additions to the club. Sitting at a back table in regular pink and white yukatas were Karen Ichijo and a dark haired girl that Yakumo had never seen before.

"It's strange that they're bringing in new people and starting them at the beginning." Yakumo told Sarah. "How will they teach them and us? We're all at different places in the club."

"I'm not sure. They also brought in two instead of one."

Emiko, who decided to take a seat with Yakumo and Sarah that day, smirked. "I know. There's a new instructor. According to Yumi san, she was a member of a Hostess Club at her old school and knows how this whole thing goes. Since she had been promoted to full Hostess there, they've made her third in command. Maki san is furious."

"Is that her?" Yakumo asked as a tall, dark haired girl entered the room in a formal, black kimono. On the back of it was a red dragon breathing golden fire, the flames reaching the sleeves of the furisode. When she took a seat on stage with mother and Eri sama, Yakumo was able to catch sight of her face. "She's very pretty."

"Yes she is. Even prettier than Maki san and Yumi san." Emiko whispered. "Her name is Yukina."

"What makes me wonder is why someone as advanced as her is taking orders from two girls who've never been through hostess training." Sarah said thoughtfully.

"The same reason we take orders from them." Emiko said while rolling her eyes, obviously tired of answering questions that no one has asked her to answer. "What other option do we have? There's not another hostess club at this school. This girl wants to be a part of one and she's willing to answer to those two in order to. She's lucky they gave her a position of authority. I bet if she started her own hostess club, she'd blow this one out of the water. More experience on her side and all."

"Welcome. I'm glad you all could make it today." Eri sama said sweetly, a rare change of pace for her. "We have three new additions to our club. Sitting in the back, we have a new third year and first year apprentice, Karen Ichijo and Umeko Nakamura."

The girl, who Emiko had pointed out as Yukina, stood and walked off the stage. "I can introduce myself."

Eri sama seemed to glare at her before taking a step back. "By all means."

"It's wonderful to meet you all. My name is Yukina Hoshiko and I worked my way up to a second tier Hostess at my former school. Mother and Eri sama have been talking with me for the past month and I'm the one that first gave them the idea to start a Hostess Club here. Due to personal reasons, I've transferred schools and I'm now here to help train you. Mother tells me that all but two of you have had a chance to perform publicly."

"The two sitting in the back, right corner, haven't begun their training at all." Mother explained. "What I need you to do is have them caught up to where everyone else is so that they aren't lagging behind when we open on the fifteenth."

Yakumo frowned. "There's no way I can have them prepared in that short of time."

"I don't want them ready to entertain, just have them caught up to the slowest members at least." Standing up, mother walked down the stage steps and stood next to Yukina. "Today, I want you all to practice your singing. Yukina will give a demonstration and then you will all try to imitate."

Mother walked across the room and picked up something that was wrapped in cloth and leaning against the wall. Kneeling on the floor next to Yukina, she unwrapped it and pulled out a shamisen. Plucking a few strings, she tuned it before nodding to Yukina who began to sing.

If you've ever heard a geisha sing, it's not at all breathy sounding. They sing through their nose and it comes out sounding very nasally and deep. Though it can sound very beautiful, most high school students today don't particularly have an ear for it. So when Yukina sang, she made sure that her voice was smooth and that all sound came from her throat, not her nose.

When Yukina san had finished her song, mother ordered the girls to all practice. Yakumo had just hit a sour note and paused to take a breath when Yukina approached mother, who had already sat back on the stage. "I'd like to get to know them all and hand select who I train. If you give me the most promising, I can make them great."

Mother took another sip of her tea. "I wanted you to train the newcomers. They need the most help. If you can get them caught up by the fifteenth, I'll let you take one of our best and do with her what you see fit."

"Why just one?" She asked as she knelt down in front of mother.

"There are five big sisters. Myself, Eri, you and the Matsumoto sisters. Eri and myself will be taking four each as little sisters and you will take one, just like Yumi and Maki. It's a question of seniority. I might give you another later. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." She said with a bow.

Before Yukina san could stand, mother held up a hand. "Also, I have one more favor. Our treasurer isn't too keen on how we are running things and has quit. I'd like it if you dressed up and enticed him into rejoining. I need his connections or there's a chance we won't be able to open."

Yukina seemed to smirk. "With pleasure. Where will I find him?"

"Get back to work." Emiko whispered when she noticed how distracted Yakumo was. Blushing, Yakumo picked back up where she left off in the song.

As the meeting drew to a close, mother stood up and displayed a shiny silver bracelet. "This will be presented to each of you when you become a full hostess. Each bracelet has its own set of numbers. It will be locked on your wrist and removed once you either graduate or decide to disconnect yourself from the club. Eri sama, Yukina and myself already have our own bracelets."

Eri sama stood and flashed her own bracelet. "Also, there is no school Friday. Since we are opening once we come back to school on Monday, I would like it if Maki, Yumi, Mina and Emiko showed up at two on Friday for an extra day of training. You four will help us open Monday. Even Eri, Yukina and myself will be entertaining."

Emiko smirked and turned to Sarah and Yakumo. "I knew they'd select me. I'm a little surprised they chose Mina. She's a little klutzy."

"Go get dressed." Mother demanded. "Remember to practice all of your skills. Just because it's after club hours, it doesn't mean you should be lazy."

Standing up, Yakumo hurried to the back room and changed as quickly as she could. Normally, Tenma would head straight home. But since Yakumo started wearing her hair up to school, it's really caught Tenma's attention and made her want to try to spy on the club.

Gathering her school bag and putting away her club items in her cubby, Yakumo opened the door to find Tenma fast asleep on the floor outside the room, using her school bag as a pillow. "Sis? Wake up please. Time to go home."

Tenma blinked sleepily up at Yakumo. "Time already? But I just got to sleep."

"Did you find something to interest you?" Yakumo asked.

Tenma stood up, a slight blush on her face. "Uh-huh! Karasuma stopped by and talked to me for a while. He asked some weird questions tho-"

Covering Tenma's mouth with her hand, Yakumo put a finger over her own lips. "Don't tell me what he asked you until you and I are out of the school grounds. Okay?"

With wide eyes, Tenma nodded her head. Uncovering her mouth, Yakumo waited until Tenma had grabbed her bag before dragging her to the end of the hall by her arm. "Yakumo? What's going on?" Tenma asked.

Waiting until they were at the school's main gate, Yakumo paused there and let go of Tenma's arm. "Just trust me, please? I'll listen to what Karasuma asked you as soon as we get home."

Still looking utterly confused, Tenma nodded her head. "Sure. I trust you."

"Let's get going." As the two finally arrived at their house, Yakumo made sure to lock up the door before going to sit at the kitchen table with her sister. "Okay. Tell me all about it."

The blush returned to Tenma's cheeks. "I still can't believe that he approached me and started a conversation. He's never done that."

"You said he asked you some weird questions. What did he ask?" Yakumo asked in almost an impatient tone. Since she had found Karasuma's torn invite on the club room floor, her curiosity had really been getting the best of her.

Looking thoughtful, Tenma tapped her chin. "Hmm. Well, he started off by asking how my day was and if I was waiting for you. When I answered that, he asked if I had ever sat in on a club meeting before and asked if you had ever told me anything about the club that was interesting or unusual."

Yakumo thought over the questions. They certainly were unusual, if only because it was Karasuma himself that asked them. "And how did you reply?"

"I told him that I had never sat in on a club meeting and I said that you don't really mention much about the club except that you dance a lot."

"Did he ask anything else?"

Tenma nodded. "He asked me what sort of mood you seem to be in when you get home after club meetings."

This question really took Yakumo off guard. What sort of mood had she been in yesterday? She remembered feeling a little stressed out and very distracted but how had she appeared to Tenma? "And you told him what?"

"I said that you seem spaced out most days and mentioned that you take forever getting ready in the morning cause of your new hairstyle. I told him that you lock yourself up in your room before and after dinner and don't leave it for any other reason other than meals or school."

Yakumo blushed. "I've really been doing that?"

Tenma nodded, making Yakumo feel a little guilty. Before the Hostess Club started, Yakumo had spent the majority of her time at home, cleaning and trying to make life enjoyable for her older sister. Since the death of their father, Tenma's been especially spacy, choosing to live in almost a dreamlike state. Now that Yakumo's attention was being diverted, she was sure that Tenma felt lonely. But even on a usual day, Tenma preferred the company of her friends.

"Tell you what, why don't you invite over some friends Thursday night for a sleepover since we have no school Friday." Yakumo recommended.

Tenma smiled. "That's a great idea! I'll invite over the whole gang! And since you seem to be making friends with Eri and Akira, you can hang out with us too!"

As Tenma was beginning to dial someone's number on her cellphone, Yakumo held up a hand. "Just a second. Did Karasuma ask you any other questions?"

Tenma paused long enough to give her a weird look. "What's with the sudden interest? Don't tell me you're falling for Karasuma too!"

Yakumo shook her head. "Not at all! He's the club's treasurer is all and I wondered if he was telling people things about the club he shouldn't."

Tenma's blue eyes widened a little more. "You won't tell Akira or Eri that he asked me questions, will you? I don't want him getting in trouble."

Yakumo smiled. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul. I'm just curious."

"Well... he did ask one more question. He wanted to know if I've ever overheard anything while waiting for you to get out and I told him that today was the first time I've ever sat outside and waited for you."

Yakumo tried not to sigh. It didn't really tell her why Karasuma would publicly rip his invite in half and walk out of the club room but it did tell her that he was getting suspicious. But what could make him suspicious enough to refuse to act as treasurer for the club? Did it have something to do with why Yakumo was not permitted to sit in on the special tea meeting mother had with the future club guests? Most likely.

"I'm going to do some shopping tonight. I'll have to go to the club meeting tomorrow so I won't be home to help you with your guests until almost five." Yakumo told Tenma as she stood and began pulling bobby pins from her hair.

"Don't worry. We can manage until you get home." Tenma assured her.

"I'll be back from the store by six." Yakumo said before grabbing her straw shopping bag and leaving the house.

When she was out of her sister's sight and hearing range, she let out a long, frustrated sigh. Why was it bothering her so much that Karasuma had quit working for the club? Most likely because that meant that he saw something wrong with the way mother was running it.

When a gust of warm wind hit Yakumo and caused her hair to flow back, she smiled in relief. Her head had been killing her since noon. Wearing it up for hours really hurt. Arriving at the nearby grocery store, Yakumo set right to work on buying all the food and snacks needed for the next few days, plus a little extra, just in case everyone was really hungry tomorrow after school.

As Yakumo was proceeding to the checkout, someone walked through the doors who looked very familiar. Looking her over, Yakumo finally realized that it was Yukina sama, the newest third in command for the club. Yakumo almost didn't recognize her in regular street clothes, her very long hair hanging loosely around her.

Bowing her head to her senpai, Yakumo smiled, causing Yukina san to give her a strange look. "You're in the club, right?"

Yakumo nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'm Yakumo Tsukamoto, a second year fifth tier apprentice."

Yukina san smiled. "Yukina Hoshiko, second year second tier hostess. At least I was at my old school. I have a feeling I'll have to work my way back up to second tier here."

"Next?" The cashier called, signaling that it was Yakumo's turn. Handing the bag to him, Yakumo turned back to her senpai.

"Your song was beautiful. The one you sang for us today." Yakumo told her politely.

"Thank you. Are you one of the girls who will be opening up Monday?"

Yakumo shook her head. "No ma'am."

Looking thoughtful, Yukina san suddenly began to sort through her bag. Using this time to quickly pay for her items, Yakumo placed it all back in her shopping bag and put her wallet back in her pocket before returning her attention to Yukina san.

"Here we go." She said, her eyes on a paper she had pulled out. "I was given a list of names with some notes about each member's abilities and behavior. It says here that you're learning very quickly and that you'll be asked to begin entertaining on the twenty-ninth."

Yakumo's eyes widened. The twenty-ninth? That was only two weeks after the club officially opens its doors. Could she be ready in that short of time? More importantly, why had Yukina san just told her something she probably shouldn't have? "Why are you telling me this? Won't mother be mad?"

Putting a finger up to her lips, Yukina smiled secretively. "Let's just keep it between us. It was nice to officially meet you Yakumo. I'll see you tomorrow."

After the two bowed to one another, Yukina san walked into the produce section of the store and Yakumo exited the building all-together.


	10. Chapter 10

**I HOPE YOU'VE BEEN ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR. :) PLEASE ENJOY THIS NEXT CHAPTER.**

**Chapter 10**

The following day, Tenma asked over Akira, Eri and Mikoto for a sleepover. Due to prior engagements, only Mikoto was able to attend, much to both Tenma and Yakumo's dismay. Yakumo had hoped to get more information out of her senpais about why the treasurer quit without making the question seem irrelevant.

Throughout the rest of the week, Yakumo watched as the selected few worked twice as hard as usual to learn a dance routine that would be performed for the opening day on the fifteenth. Also, each debuting hostess had to learn a solo dance each. Most of Yakumo's time was spent learning how to sing certain notes without sounding nasally while the rest of her time was spent with Tenma.

Yukina san did not approach Yakumo again after Wednesday night. In fact, Yukina spent all her time only conversing with the two newcomers and a couple slow learners in the club, trying to get them caught up by Monday.

When Monday finally did arrive, Yakumo could see the stress in the eyes of every single person opening up Monday, even mother herself. The tension floated through the air and sometimes caused people to lash out. If possible, Yumi was crabbier than usual. She even snapped at Maki once for walking in front of her while she was practicing a dance.

At exactly 3:30, everyone not opening for the club was asked to wait in the back room or to change into something else and help in the kitchen. As the new customers began to arrive, Yakumo and the others shut themselves in the changing room and watched through little slits in the rice paper screen.

The room's lights had been dimmed and the ceiling had been decorated with paper lanterns, the walls with different display items. Each table had candle centerpieces and menus on them, giving the entire room a true tea house feel.

"Look, there's Imadori!" Karen Ichijo said in excitement.

"I thought you said you passed out twelve invites." Sarah whispered to Yakumo.

"I did, why?"

"Because I see at least twenty men."

"There are twenty-five." a girl with pink hair answered. "I heard mother ask Maki san to pass out more invites a few days ago. Don't know why."

"She specifically said that there would only be twelve present. Strange..." Yakumo murmured.

"Ssh. I think the dance is starting." Karen whispered.

"Yakumo, do you think you could help in the kitchen?" Eri sama called from the door. "I hear you're a good cook."

Sighing, Yakumo backed away from the door and went to join Eri sama out in the hall once she had slipped on her wooden shoes. "I'm an okay cook. I thought there were just going to be snacks today, though."

Eri sama shrugged. "Mother decided she wanted to serve sushi and pastries. We need help rolling dough and making sushi. Sarah? Want to help too?"

Sarah looked a little reluctant but also followed Eri sama into the hall. "Yes ma'am."

"Okay, good. The kitchen is set up in classroom B13. When something is ready to be served, carry it to the main club door and knock. Someone will answer and carry the food into the room. Okay?"

Anyone who was not opening today had been asked to put on their yukatas instead of their furisode. But even in yukata, you risked damaging the dangling sleeves. When the two entered the classroom used for a cooking class on regular days, a very stressed looking man wearing a name tag handed over long sleeved smocks for the girls to put on while in the kitchen after they each washed their hands.

Pointing to Sarah, he told her to help with sushi and pointing to Yakumo, he told her to help make the pastries. Going to their respective stations, Yakumo set to work on rolling dough while a woman put filling into individual pastries.

"Nice to meet you." The woman said with a smile. "You must be a student here?"

"Yes." Yakumo said politely.

"This club must make a lot of money if they can afford to hire people to make homemade food for the customers. They've hired us for Wednesday and Saturday too."

From what Yakumo had been told, the club was running on a very small budget. If they had the money to hire cooks, that must mean that customers were already turning in money. "I've rolled the dough out."

"Good good. Now pull it apart until you have enough dough for twelve balls the size of your palms."

After Yakumo finished making enough dough balls to fry eight batches of a dozen, sugar was generously sprinkled on all sides of each sweet dough ball and put on serving trays.

"We're finished with the appetizers!" The woman called to the other cook.

"Have the girl take the trays."

"Can you manage that? Take two trays at a time. You wouldn't want to drop anything."

Nodding, Yakumo took off the smock and picked up two of the lacquered trays and carried them out of the room and down the hall. Stopping at the door, Yakumo tried to balance both trays in one hand so she could knock but nearly spilled some. Sighing, she sat both trays on the floor and knelt beside them before knocking.

A moment later, the door slid open to reveal a room full of noisy and rather happy boys. Each were either smiling or laughing as they talked with girls sitting at their tables with them. Yakumo hadn't even realized the appetizers had been pulled into the room until the door slid in front of her.

Each time Yakumo carried trays to the room, she was able to catch another glimpse. She could see quite clearly that everyone was mesmerized by the Matsumoto sisters. When Maki came to the door to retrieve trays from Yakumo, she noticed that all the boys were staring at her intently.

Delivering the final two trays, Yakumo quickly scanned the room for the final time. In the back, she found Yukina san sitting with three boys who looked absolutely riveted.

"And then she fell right on the ground, her legs flailing about!" Yukina said animatedly. "In that bright green kimono and red obi, she looked like a squashed beetle!"

The table, along with some nearby listeners, burst into laughter after Yukina san's story. When the door shut, Yakumo stood quickly and returned to the kitchen just as Sarah was carrying out a couple trays of sushi.

"What does it look like in there?" Sarah asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"It looks like a lot of fun." Yakumo smiled.

It really did. The more she thought of the lively room, the more she couldn't wait to start entertaining. Even if she wasn't very good, she'd still have fun with it. When Yakumo returned to the kitchen, she found the pink haired girl helping with pastries.

"You can return to your club." The man told Yakumo.

Nodding, Yakumo hurried back to the room and sat beside a crack in the rice paper screen to peer into the busy room next door. "What was the dance like?" Yakumo asked Karen.

Karen grinned. "It was beautiful. You totally missed it. Everyone did their own solo and mother introduced them to the audience. I'm so nervous about when I'll have to perform though. Have you ever performed?"

Yakumo nodded. "Yes. I did at the recital a week ago."

"Was it scary?"

"It was until I just relaxed and went with the flow." Yakumo explained.

"Alright, I've got the gossip." A blonde girl sitting near Yakumo said to the whole room. "More of us are getting to entertain in two weeks. I heard mother tell Eri sama."

Yakumo kept quiet as the whole room started to talk about it. After her run-in with Yukina san at the store a few days ago, Yakumo knew that she herself would get to begin performing on the twenty-ninth, exactly two weeks from today.

For about another two hours, the ones in the room next door continued to laugh and chatter. Finally, around half past six, the noise died down. Peeking through the hole in the screen, Yakumo saw that everyone was standing up and making their way towards the stage. Each and every customer handed over money to mother, who proceeded to put it in a decorative box. When the room was entirely empty, the door dividing the rooms slid open and the remaining girls entered the room to change out of their heavy kimono.

"I am exhausted!" Emiko complained. "I just wanna go to bed..."

"Stop whining, I have a headache!" Yumi spat venomously.

"Could you both just shut up for two minutes." Maki hissed. "Get changed and leave!"

Emiko rolled her yes. "You're not third in command anymore, Maki. Stop with the power trip."

Yakumo could see the anger begin to cloud Maki's eyes. "That's it!"

Faster than anyone could blink, Maki lunged at Emiko and tackled her to the ground. The two girls began to slap at each other and pull at one another's hair. Seeing two fully done up hostesses fighting it out was almost comical. They both looked like angry little dolls to Yakumo.

"Mother!" Someone screamed.

A few seconds later, mother stormed into the room and pulled Maki off of Emiko. "Enough! I said 'enough'!"

"She started it, mother." Maki said, the rage still in her eyes.

"No, she did!" Emiko argued. "She attacked me!"

Mother scanned the room of surprised faces. "I want the truth! Who started the fight?"

Maki gave each and every girl in the room a venomous glare. The look was easy enough to read. If anyone told on Maki, she'd make them pay. Yakumo was more surprised than frightened. She had always pegged Yumi as the more vile of the sisters. Maki was proving to be a much more hostile person now that she was risking probation or worse. "Well, are you gonna tell the truth?" Maki asked? "Tell mother that Emiko started the fight!"

When mother's gaze passed by Yakumo, she instantly lowered her eyes, praying she was not called upon to defend or condemn anyone. "You. Sarah, right?"

Yakumo's eyes widened. Looking to the side, she watched her best friend look up in fear. "Yes ma'am."

Mother walked until she was standing not even a foot from Sarah. Staring her down, she put Sarah in a hypothetical corner. "You plan on entering the convent after graduation. You seem like the best choice to give me an honest answer. Who started the fight?"

From right behind mother, Maki gave Sarah the scariest look Yakumo had ever seen. "Um..." Sarah mumbled, too afraid to take her eyes off of Maki. "It happened so quickly... I believe that the fight was started by a disrespectful comment from Emiko..."

Maki smirked and interrupted Sarah. "She's correct. Emiko did disrespect me."

Mother turned her gaze on Emiko now, who was just beginning to pick herself up off the ground. "Emiko Hanaka. Tonight, Maki made more money for the club than anyone else through commission. That makes her a valuable asset to the club and that also ranks her above you. You owe your betters more respect. As punishment, you are on level two probation for one week."

A few in the room gasped, including Emiko. The other day, mother had explained the three levels of probation to everyone. Level one worked as a warning. Level two meant that one couldn't entertain for a certain amount of time but could show up to regular meetings. Level three meant suspension from the club for a certain amount of time. If one did not find a way to get back in mother's good graces once on level three, they would be kicked out of the club within a few days.

"But mother..." Emiko tried to speak but mother silenced her by lightly hitting her atop her head with her folding fan.

"Silence. And Maki...I'll let you off with a warning for engaging in a fight at all. Do you, do any of you have any idea what could happen if word of a physical fight reached the head principal's ears? And on the first public day of the club too? We could get shut down. Now get changed and go home. All of you. If you're all not out of my sight in twenty minutes, I'll put everyone on level one probation."

As soon as mother exited the changing room and slammed the door shut, Emiko began to cry softly. Sarah's eyes began to water as well. "Emiko, I'm so sorry... I was only trying to tell exactly what happened but she didn't let me finish..."

Emiko held up a hand, a glare beginning to form on her face. "I don't want to hear it. You chose your side."

Emiko was the first to finish changing that night. She was in such a rush, she didn't even bother to wipe off her makeup before leaving. Putting away her yukata, Yakumo quickly put on her uniform and left the room right after Sarah. "Sarah, wait! Please slow down!"

Sarah paused, her back to Yakumo. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry you were put on the spot like that."

Turning her head slightly, Sarah gave her a sad smile. "It's just one of the things I'll have to put up with if I want to stay in the club. We're going to earn money for college the longer we stay in the club."

Yakumo gave her a puzzled look. "I thought you wanted to join the convent after graduation."

Turning her head back around, Sarah began to walk again. "I'm not so sure anymore. Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

For the remainder of the week, Yakumo began to see a sort of paradox unfolding. Maki, who Yakumo had always thought of as in control and subjective when it came to what goes on in the club, turned out to be more of a nightmare than Yumi ever was. Now that she was the chief earner, everyone was to listen, obey and see to Maki and what she wishes.

The highest of honors that Maki was now able to partake in was first pick of kimono for entertaining. Once the three in command selected their kimono, Maki was allowed to select hers next, before any other apprentice. If Maki asked that someone hold a lacquered parasol above her while the club strolled through the garden, it wasn't an optional request. Even Yumi seemed to act a little overwhelmed when in Maki's presence. Almost as if her fiery side cooled in comparison to Maki's.

That isn't to say that Maki was the most liked hostess. She wasn't. Only the most like apprentice. But of all the hostesses, Yukina san seemed to command everyone's attention effortlessly. Unlike everyone else, who spent sections of the meetings learning conversation, Yukina san seemed to find things to say that Yakumo would never even think to bring up. Her dancing was utterly graceful and artistic, her voice able to hit any note thrown at her.

It seemed that the more Yukina san flourished, the angrier Maki became. Yakumo couldn't explain why but she felt as if there was more deep seeded hate in the glares Maki sent Yukina than there really should be. Even stranger was the knowing, slightly mocking smiles Yukina sent Maki.

That Saturday, as the guests were leaving, Yakumo was a little more flustered than usual. Normally, every girl not entertaining took a turn in the kitchen. But since the fight between Emiko and Maki, Emiko refused to take her turn. Sarah was more than willing to take an extra shift, if only to earn Emiko's forgiveness for making the fight seen like it was all one party's fault, but Yakumo knew Sarah needed a break more than her and offered to take the extra turn.

Since Yakumo had helped with the dishes, everyone else had left by the time she returned to the changing room. As she was about to change out of her kimono, she heard someone humming in the adjoining room. Sliding open the door, she caught sight of Yukina san, sitting at a table and wiping off her makeup.

"I thought everyone else had gone." Yakumo said.

"Not everyone. I told mother I'd lock up once you returned from the kitchen. Why don't you take a seat. I'd like to talk to you." She said while patting a cushion beside her.

Raising an eyebrow, Yakumo entered the larger room and went to kneel beside her senpai. "Talk to me about what?"

At first, she was silent. For about five minutes, all she did was remove her makeup. When not a trace of it remained, she took her hair down and gave Yakumo a warm smile. "I'd like to ask a favor of you. It's more of something we can do for one another."

"A favor?"

Nodding, Yukina san opened a jar of moisturizing cream and began rubbing some into the skin on her face. "In exactly nine days, three more girls will be asked to entertain. I've told you before that you're among the three. Do you have any idea why I told you?"

Yakumo shook her head. "No ma'am."

Once again, Yukina san became silent. Yakumo watched as she began to braid her hair over her shoulder. As her fingers worked through the plaits of hair, Yakumo examined the silver bracelet on her arm. It was similar to the one mother had displayed last week only this one seemed slightly tarnished, older looking. Written on the plate in the center of the bracelet's chain were the numbers 0103.

"Were you given your bracelet by your old hostess club?" Yakumo asked when Yukina san was just finishing her braid.

"Yes, I was. One day, you'll get one too. At least, that's my goal. It's easy to find yourself on the bad side of a club like this. Mother expects perfection, just as the mother of my old club had. I expect perfection too. I will make you an offer now to go along with that favor. If you don't like the idea, please, just say so. I'll understand if you don't want that sort of pressure put on you."

"I'm confused..." Yakumo murmured. What sort of favor could she want to ask of her?

"Mother has agreed to let me take someone as my younger sister. She's being particular and I'm only allowed to take one since Maki and Yumi are acting as older sisters now too. I would like you to be my younger sister. Trust me Yakumo, you'll learn a lot faster when you have a teacher putting almost all her effort into teaching one student."

Yakumo's eyes widened. "You want to be my big sister?"

"Yes. If you agree to this, I'll see to it that you have at least a million yen for college money by the time you graduate. I'll also see to it that you are accepted to the college of your choice. In return for this great offer, I need your absolute cooperation. If I tell you to do something, you must, with little to no explanation. If you go along with that, I can also guarantee you'll become a full hostess in a little over two months."

The words of the ebony haired ghost came to the forefront of Yakumo's mind. The ghost had foretold that Yakumo would become a full hostess in less than three months and now Yukina san was giving Yakumo that chance. "You'd really do this? Are you sure that you want to train me?"

Yukina san gave Yakumo a rather dubious stare. "Do you think I'd ask if I didn't mean it? It's a simple question. Would you, or wouldn't you, like to be my little sister?"

Overwhelmed but excited with the chance of receiving help with her training, Yakumo bowed her head. "Yes ma'am. I'll do my best."

"Very good. I was very much hoping you'd agree. I didn't see a lot of promise in any of the other fifth tier apprentices."

"Senpai? Um..." Yakumo paused and thought over her question. "In what way would me becoming your little sister help you?"

"When I say that this is something we can do for eachother, I'm going to also say that my reasons are both personal and irrelevant. I'll tell you at some point, just not today. You are aware that I won't take it easy on you, yes?"

Yakumo nodded. "Yes, I know. I'd prefer it that way. I'll learn more quickly."

"Very good." Yukina said with a slight smile. "I'll start off easy. All I want you to do tonight is go home and get some rest. Do absolutely no practicing. You've been putting your all into this so far and I can tell by the bags under your eyes that you haven't slept much. I want your mind fresh and open by tomorrow. I know that Sunday is your day off, but do you think you could manage to visit me tomorrow? I've already informed mother and she's promised to let us go through with our ceremony tomorrow so I can start training you right away."

Yakumo nodded, feeling a little uncertain of visiting someone she had only known a short amount of time. "I suppose. Where should we meet?"

"Here at the school, in the club room." Yukina answered before standing and walking towards the changing room. Following after her, Yakumo tried to come to grips with how quickly things were happening. At least she didn't have to visit the house of someone she barely knew.

"What time should I arrive? Who else has gone through this ceremony?"

"Eleven in the morning. All you need to do is fix your hair before arriving. I'll have a kimono waiting for you. A few girls have so far. Everyone who's begun entertaining have plus a few more. Hurry and get home. Tonight will be the only night you will get to yourself before you begin entertaining."

A smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Yakumo quickly changed back into her school uniform and gathered her bag. "Thank you very much."

Yukina san put a hand on Yakumo's head, gently, so as not to mess up her elaborate hairstyle. "Don't thank me just yet. Head home now."

Bowing her head once again, Yakumo left the school and headed home.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'VE BEEN WRITING AND REWRITING PARTS OF THIS STORY TO MAKE IT BETTER BUT I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS MISSING. :/ PLEASE ENJOY!**

**Chapter 11**

"You're leaving this early?" Tenma asked sleepily as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Placing a plate of eggs and bacon with a side of orange juice in front of her, Yakumo grabbed her purse and headed for the front door.

"I won't be gone long. It's just a short meeting for the club. I'll pick up some of your favorite cookies from that bakery cafe on my way home."

With the promise of cookies, Tenma's slight pout turned into a full blown grin. "Chocolate and strawberry icing ones?"

"Yes, both." Yakumo smiled. "If I'm not back by one and you want lunch, I made some soba noodles. They're sitting in the fridge for you to heat up in the microwave. Can you manage that?"

"Get going Miss. Hostess. I can manage." Tenma said while waving her hand. "I'm the eldest after all."

When she was sure that Tenma could manage on her own for a couple hours, Yakumo checked her hair in the hallway mirror and headed out. The walk to the school was nice when the sun was completely up. When walking to school on any other day, the air usually felt chilly since Spring has barely arrived. The only real downer was that she had to wear her uniform while on school grounds.

As Yakumo walked through the main doors and finished switching her street shoes for the school shoes, she passed by the main office and caught sight of Karasuma through the open door. He was standing near the vice principal's door again, sorting papers. "Karasuma san?"

At the mention of his name, the dark haired boy looked up in minor curiosity. "Young Miss. Tsukamoto. What are you doing here on a Sunday?"

Entering the office, Yakumo was glad that the uptight secretary wasn't present. "I'm here for club related duties. You?"

Karasuma looked down at the papers in his hand, a look of slight contemplation on his face. "I've been asked to sort through papers. The office was cluttered and I had nothing of importance to see to today."

Yakumo raised an eyebrow. The way he had said it made Yakumo think that he had come up with that answer on the spot. A moment later, the door to the vice principal's office opened and a medium height girl with blonde hair exited. She kept her face down, her bangs hiding her eyes.

"Thank you." The girl whispered, though to who, Yakumo didn't know.

Once the girl had left, Yakumo returned her focus back to Karasuma. "I should get going. They're expecting me at the club room by eleven. But real quick... Why did you decide to not be the club treasurer?"

Karasuma was silent at first and Yakumo began to wonder if he planned on answering at all. Finally, he paused in his work and looked up at Yakumo. "Personal reasons."

Looking at the clock on the wall to her right, Yakumo saw that she had only five minutes to get upstairs and present herself. "May I ask why exactly?"

Karasuma's eyes remained distant but the set of his eyebrows let Yakumo know that he might be a little stressed by her question. "Does it matter?" He asked softly.

Figuring that it was the only way to get an answer out of him, Yakumo reached into her purse and pulled out the ripped invitation. Handing both pieces to Karasuma, she bowed her head. "I believe this belongs to you. The reason I ask is because it perplexed me. I wanted to know why you ripped the invite and quit acting as treasurer."

Karasuma looked at the clock then. "You should get to your club meeting. I'll explain later, if you really want to know."

Surprised that he planned on telling her at all, Yakumo nodded. "I'm not trying to interfere in your business."

Looking from the clock to Yakumo, Karasuma bowed his head. "I understand that you are curious. We are acquaintances, right?"

She could feel her cheeks heating, which slightly frustrated her. She wasn't supposed to blush when it pertained to Karasuma. Not Tenma's beloved Karasuma. It's not that she liked him, anyway. Maybe it just made her feel a little special knowing that someone her sister had to fight tooth and nail just to spend five minutes with willingly agreed to sit and speak with her for however long it took to explain his resignation from the club.

"Would you like to wait for my club meeting to get out and then talk?" Yakumo asked before she could stop herself.

"I'll meet you at the front doors once I finish organizing things." He told her. "You have two minutes to get upstairs."

Looking back at the clock in surprise, Yakumo bowed her head and hurried from the office. Arriving at the club room, she threw open the door and hurried inside. Shutting it, she approached the stage where mother and Yukina san sat.

"Right on time." Yukina san said.

For the next half hour, Yukina san helped Yakumo with her makeup and then help her into a black formal furisode kimono. The kimono had a fire breathing dragon painted on the back of it, its flames stretching to the hem of the kimono and across the sleeves. When Yakumo was completely ready, mother had her kneel before the stage's red curtain so that Yukina san could take several pictures of her.

"Please take a seat, Yakumo." mother instructed.

As soon as all three of the girls were sitting around the stage's table, Yakumo began to feel slightly nervous. What was she supposed to do? Based on how everyone was wearing black formal furisodes, she guessed that today was very important.

For the next several minutes, the three each drank from a series of small cups, each varying slightly in size. As Yakumo finished drinking from the final cup, Yukina san smiled and passed a small box across the table.

"Today commemorates the day that you begin your true apprenticeship." Yukina san said. "Under my guidance, you go from a girl to a young woman. From this day forward, you will be known as Yakumo Tsukamoto, Yagami High apprentice."

Looking down at the box, Yakumo pulled off the lid and widened her eyes. Sitting in the little red box was a golden hair comb with little rubies and diamonds of various sizes placed along golden branches at the comb's base. Yukina san reached for the comb and placed it in Yakumo's hair.

"Congratulations Yakumo san. You're free to call me big sister now." Yukina said as she reached over to hug Yakumo.

Mother lifted the sleeve of her kimono and looked at a small, golden wrist watch. "I'll need you both to hurry and get ready. I have another bonding ceremony today."

Motioning for Yakumo to follow her to the far side of the room, both girls removed their makeup and took down their hair.

"Is that all there is? Just a quick ceremony?" Yakumo asked.

"For today, yes. Since last Sunday, mother has been holding bonding ceremonies for the class. By tomorrow, everyone will have a big sister. This means that, on most days, you'll not participate in group meetings. As soon as school lets out, go straight to room D14 in the West building."

"Should I get dressed before heading over?" Yakumo asked.

"No. I have my own supplies and some extra from mother. You'll use those." Yukina san told her, a knowing sort of smile on her face.

"But why? If everyone else has big sisters and still learn in the main room, why-"

"I have to get going." Yukina san interrupted. "Just trust me, alright? Go home. Tonight, practice singing and fan tricks. I had planned to spend a few hours today teaching you some basics in conversation but something's come up. Let mother help you put away the formal kimono. It's worth quite a bit."

As Yakumo watched her new big sister leave the room, her thoughts returned to her conversation with Karasuma. What had she been thinking when she asked the boy her sister was in love with to talk privately. It was both wrong and inappropriate.

"Let me help." Mother said with a sigh before helping Yakumo out of the first layer of the kimono. When it was nicely folded and placed in a lacquered box, Yakumo changed back into her uniform and left the room.

Walking down the hall, she admired the shimmering, golden comb in her hands. Should she just put it in her purse or put it in her hair? It was way too fancy for a regular day, but after a while of going to school everyday with her hair done up, Yakumo had ceased to care about what others thought when she walked by them. Well, almost.

Stopping by the locker room, Yakumo put back on her regular shoes and stopped by a mirror to twist the comb into her hair and push it in, keeping some of it from getting in her face. Using a wet napkin from her purse, Yakumo wiped off some leftover makeup from her cheek but no amount of scrubbing would truly remove the reddish tint from her lips until she got home and used some makeup remover.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Sarah? What are you doing here?"

Turning around, Yakumo found Sarah slipping on her school shoes. "It's time for me to gain a big sister. Is that what you're here for?"

Yakumo nodded. "Yes, to Yukina san. Who did they pair you with?"

Sarah looked to the side in almost a dismal manner. "Maki san."

"Oh Sarah, I'm sorry. Maybe if you talk with mother, she'll pair you with someone else. I'll bet Eri sama would make a nice big sister."

Shrugging, Sarah shut her locker. "I already tried. No use. It's fine though. I'm sure Maki san is much nicer once you get to know her."

For Sarah's sake, Yakumo hoped so. "On the bright side, you'll be given a gift during the ceremony that you get to keep. I was given a hair comb."

Cracking a small smile, Sarah gazed at the comb in Yakumo's hair. "That is pretty. Well, wish me luck. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." Sarah said while rushing from the locker room and up the stairs.

As soon as Sarah was out of sight, Yakumo exited the locker room and left the school. Just as promised, Karasuma was waiting at the doors for Yakumo. With his back to the stone wall and a book in his hands, he looked content to wait there for a while.

"I'm done with the meeting." Yakumo said when he hadn't noticed her arrival. "Though now that I think about it, I really shouldn't..."

As Yakumo trailed off, Karasuma looked up from his book and gave her what she thought was a quizzical look. "You shouldn't what?"

Yakumo began to blush. What was she supposed to say? If she told Karasuma that Tenma had feelings for him, Tenma would never forgive her. Thinking quickly, Yakumo smiled nervously. "Um...It's just that you're a third year and I'm a second year. Won't people find it strange if we're seen out of school in eachother's company?"

Blinking, Karasuma closed his book and placed it into the briefcase bag in his hand. "You're worried about gossip? Considering the club you joined, I didn't think you cared about that sort of thing."

A little taken aback by Karasuma's slight change in tone, Yakumo tried to choose her words carefully. "I don't understand. What's wrong with the Hostess Club?"

Could Karasuma's answer to this question tell Yakumo why he had severed ties with the club? "You dress up like Geisha and make money by flirting with teenage boys. It's not exactly the type of club someone would want to have on their transcripts."

Realization finally hit her. Hearing Karasuma describe the club that way made her realize just how inappropriate the club really was. It certainly wouldn't have made Yakumo's father proud if he knew she was earning money by flirting with boys. "Ah, I see. I'm sorry you feel that way. But why would you have agreed to be the treasurer in the first place if you knew what kind of club this is?"

"When Takano san asked me to be the club's treasurer, she explained that the club did nothing but practice traditional skills like dancing and singing which would be displayed in recitals. She also explained that the only form of money earned was through ticket sales and from any videos that might be made and sold."

Even thought Karasuma kept an even tone as he explained this, she had a feeling that he was a little more annoyed with being deceived than he let on. Feeling guilty for bringing up something that struck a cord with him, Yakumo reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "There's a cafe a couple blocks from here. Would you like something to drink? My treat."

Truthfully, Yakumo was starving. She had woken up late this morning and hadn't had a chance to even eat the breakfast she made. But considering a lunch date sounded a lot worse than drinks with a friend, for propriety's sake, Yakumo would wait to eat until she got home.

Instead of accepting her offer or even declining it, Karasuma reached into his bag and pulled out his own wallet. "I was meaning to head to lunch after organizing the office. Does lunch at that cafe sound better?"

Yakumo could feel her face heating up. Trying her best to fight the blush off, she looked down. "I don't think that would be very appropriate."

With her face pointed towards the ground, she couldn't tell what sort of infinitesimal expression Karasuma had, but when he spoke, his tone sounded kind and not offended by Yakumo's indirect refusal. "It's your choice. If you don't find this forward... I do like to get to know who I'm friends with, since I don't really make friends easily..."

Looking up in surprise, Yakumo quickly studied his expression before averting her eyes. He had just said that he thought of them as friends. Or at the very least, he meant acquaintances and was using friends as a more polite word considering the situation.

"The food at the cafe is a little expensive..." Yakumo tried to reason, more with herself than with him. If she didn't give herself at least three very good reasons to decline his offer altogether, she was sure that she'd betray her sister's trust. That's what it would feel like to her. "But they should be having a lunch special today since it's a weekend."

"Should we head there now?" He asked before turning towards the stone steps.

Almost sighing, Yakumo followed after him, her heart hammering. What were her reasons? One, it would betray her sister. If her sister found out... Two, the food at the cafe was expensive. But there really was a special going on today... Three, three... What was a third reason... For lack of a better excuse to bow out, Yakumo began to hope that the cafe had been shut down due to mysterious circumstances. An outbreak of terrible food poisoning, maybe?

Catching up to Karasuma, Yakumo began to match his stride. Considering he was about half a foot taller than her and had longer legs, Yakumo realized that he was slowing so she could catch up.

"It's that one right there." Yakumo pointed out almost reluctantly. Sighing, she gave up on trying to convince herself to run. It was a losing battle anyway. At least this was the cafe Yakumo had to stop at to buy Tenma her favorite cookies.

"I've been here before." He said as they entered and chose a table near the back. Before Yakumo could reach for her chair, Karasuma pulled it back and waited for her to sit.

Yakumo's blush returned. Did he think that pulling a chair out for a girl was normal? Even though Yakumo had never been on a date before, she knew that behavior like that was something that a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend. Or at the very least, someone he liked.

When Yakumo didn't immediately sit in the chair, Karasuma gave her a puzzled look. "Is this not okay?"

Biting her lip, she shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm just not used to it."

As soon as Yakumo sat in the chair, Karasuma pushed it in for her and took his seat across from her. "I've never been here during lunch. What do you recommend?"

For the first five minutes that the two were there, conversation was very limited and only pertained to the place they were, the food they had ordered and Tenma. Yakumo had chosen to throw her older sister's name on the table, in hopes that Karasuma might begin to see the wrong in the lunch date. But if Karasuma isn't aware that Tenma loves him, he technically couldn't be blamed at all.

Finally, when the food had just been delivered, Karasuma chose to start a more interesting topic of conversation. "You probably think that my dislike for your club is unreasonable. I'm aware that you earn college money and flirting can be harmless, so thinking of it from the point of view of the club member, I can see why you like it. It must be fun for you to get to study artistic culture and bring it to life."

Temporarily forgetting her anxiety, Yakumo smiled. "That's right. It really is enjoyable. I'm learning a lot and I'm wanting to do my best and stay a part of this club if it will help me with college money. I also get why you think the club is inappropriate. It kind of is. But I've promised people that I would stay in it..."

"I'm not insulting your decisions Tsukamoto san." Karasuma said once Yakumo had trailed off. "Most people wouldn't feel offended by the club. I suppose I do because my grandmother was a Geisha. So when I see a club of girls mocking the kind of life my grandmother once lived, I feel like the proper thing to do is to sever ties."

Realizing exactly why Karasuma was angry, Yakumo began to wonder if having anything to do with the club was a good idea after all. "I understand... Believe me when I say that I'm not insulting your grandmother's way of life. I just...I guess I really enjoy the artistic aspects of the club. I'm learning traditional skills that not a lot of people get the chance to learn. If mother, I mean, Akira san wants to turn it into what it is, the only thing I can do is put up with it or leave the club."

For nearly a minute, the two did not speak. Just as Yakumo was taking a bite of her soup, Karasuma quickly leaned down and picked up his school bag. Opening a front pouch, he reached in and pulled out a pin. "This was given to me by Takano san when I first agreed to be the club's treasurer. I've tried returning it but she insists that I keep it. Will you please try to give it back to her for me?"

Taking the little golden pin from Karasuma, Yakumo examined it. It was circular and had the initials 'O.K.' written on it in Kanji. "I can try but I don't think she'll listen to me."

"If she doesn't take it, you're welcome to do with it what you'd like. It just seems like something she'd want back."

As Yakumo admired the gold colored pin and the way it shimmered in the light, she thought of what mother would want her to do in this situation. Maybe if Karasuma gave the club a chance, he'd see how hard the members were working and agree to be the treasurer again.

"Karasuma san?" She began, her words nearly dying in her throat. When she had his attention, she tried not to stumble over what she was trying to say. "I think that, if you were to really give the club a chance, you'd enjoy it. The main objective isn't for a hostess to flirt, it's to give the patron someone to talk to. I've not had the chance to entertain yet but when I look into the room, everyone looks so happy. They play little games and joke and... Forgive me, I'm sorry for trying to push."

Instead of getting offended like Yakumo expected he would, Karasuma gave her an understanding look. "When do you get to start work as a hostess?"

"Oh, um, I begin entertaining on the twenty-ninth. Why?"

"I'll show up for a meeting on the twenty-ninth. I'll give it a chance."

Feeling her cheeks heat up, she imagined seeing him in the audience as she performed on stage that day. The idea made her both embarrassed and excited. "Thank you. Here's your pin. You'll probably need it."

Passing the pin across the table, Karasuma took it from her palm and placed it back into his bag. Had his fingertips brushed her palm or did she imagine it? Confused by the shiver that ran up her arm, Yakumo busied herself with finishing her soup.

When the two had finished eating and the food was paid for, Yakumo placed a to-go order for half a dozen chocolate cookie bars and half a dozen strawberry. While waiting for the cashier to get the cookies, Yakumo ran her fingers over the comb in her hair subconsciously.

"I should get going now. I'm expected at home soon. Thank you for your company today Tsukamoto san." Karasuma told her. Bowing his head, he left.

Even after the bag of cookies was handed to Yakumo and she began the walk home, she was still thinking over every aspect of the lunch date. Up until she had made it to the house, the question that plagued Yakumo's mind was what the difference was between the way Karasuma addressed Tenma and herself. Miss. Tsukamoto for Tenma, Tsukamoto san or young Miss. Tsukamoto for Yakumo. Was there any sort of significant meaning behind it?

"Cookies!" Tenma screamed as she ripped the bag from Yakumo's hand. Darting away with them, Tenma proceeded to sit in front of the television, a different flavored cookie in each hand. "Thanks sis! So what did you do today?" 

"I had a routine meeting. We usually meet on Sundays or every other now." Yakumo said absently as she headed for the sink full of dirty dishes. "I also went on a lunch date with the love of your life..." Yakumo whispered to herself.

"Huh? You say something?"

"Uh, no sis. Did you get enough to eat today?"

"Uh-huh! I decided to heat up some leftover pizza rice cakes you made a couple days ago. Oh and Harima stopped by. He dropped off a package full of more pages for you to read."

At the mention of Harima's name, Yakumo felt a familiar blush try to surface. Surprisingly, she found it much easier that usual to keep it subdued. Once she had finished the dishes, she picked up the package from Harima and carried it up to her room to read.

"He's picked a different type of storyline for these chapters." Yakumo whispered.

In chapter twelve of the romance drama, the main character, who's a paid assassin, has to go undercover at a tea house in Kyoto. Eying the layout of the main floor, it reminded Yakumo of the club room when set up for customers. She even recognized the faces of Tenma, Yukina and Maki among the comic's working geishas. The assassin falls for the Tenma lookalike and tries to get her to run away with him. By the end of the chapter, the assassin realizes that all of these girls are trapped and being forced to work there.

"Shouldn't you be practicing?"

Stifling a gasp, the page of the comic she was just reading slips from her hand and lands on the bed. "Ghost?"

The dark haired ghost floated at the foot of Yakumo's bed, her dark red eyes looking nearly emotionless. "You've been doing very well. You even convinced the treasurer to take his job back."

Yakumo sighed. "Why didn't you show up after the recital. I can't pass out tonight, I have to practice after this..."

"I never specified when after the recital I'd arrive. The pages you are looking at... You seem very interested. Could it be because you love the man who drew on them?"

Yakumo shook her head. "I told you, I don't love Harima." As Yakumo spoke, she quickly reached for her phone and set an alarm that would wake her up in five minutes, once the ghost left.

"I know who you'll love soon. I won't say though... I do have this piece of advice to give. Beware the man who invites."

The moment the ghost finished speaking, the room lit up and Yakumo's eyes closed.

She was sure that she was dreaming. Everything around her had taken on a haze, as it usually did when she was asleep. She watched from afar as Karasuma leaned against the stone railing of a pavilion in a tree filled park. She could tell by the heaviness on her shoulders and back that she was wearing a furisode kimono. Lifting the sleeves and leaning a lacquered parasol on her shoulder, Yakumo hurried from under the tree to the pavilion.

"I'm here." She called as she came to stand beside him.

"I want you to quit the club." He said without hesitation, not taking his eyes off the rain that poured before him.

A heavy feeling wrapped itself around Yakumo. "I can't. You know I can't."

To Yakumo's immense shock, he turned to face her and grabbed her shoulders. That stoic expression still in place, Yakumo wasn't sure what he wanted. "Please."

Before she could respond, a loud screeching sound made the dream fade. Blinking a few times, she stared at the phone as it rang over and over. Reaching for it, she turned off the alarm and forced herself to sit up.

Dammit...She hated the disorientation that came after a visit from the ghost. What does she have to do to get it to leave her be? Rushing to the computer, Yakumo pulled up a search engine and thought of what she should look up exactly.

_How to ward off spirits._

Clicking enter, she opened the first article and read through it.

"I'll need a bit of money to buy supplies..."

"Yakumo! Do we have any melon tea left?" Tenma called from the other side of the door.

"We used the last of it earlier. I'll go buy some now sis. Just a minute..."

Quickly copying a list of supplies from the site, Yakumo closed the browser and hurried into the hall. "Could you pick up some more body wash too?" Tenma called after her as Yakumo hurried down the stairs.

It was probably silly of her to worry but Yakumo began to wonder if this ghost was visiting Tenma too. If so, she wanted to make sure it couldn't enter the house. She wasn't one to be superstitious but she did believe that a blessed item could help. Putting on a pair of shoes and grabbing her wallet and shopping bag, Yakumo hurried out the door in hopes that she'd return before dark.

According to the site, a few things that would benefit Yakumo's home are a Ba Gua mirror to keep evil entities from entering the home, a wind chime for the porch to scare the evil spirits off and alert those who hear the chimes that a spirit is near and black onyx crystal shaped necklaces for personal protection.

Once she had picked up the tea and body wash at the grocery store and paid for it, Yakumo walked a few shops down to the same shop she had bought her fans from. Finding a bell shaped wind chime and a Ba Gua mirror for a reasonable price was easy. Finding the black onyx charms cheap enough was not. It's not like she could afford legitimate black onyx.

Buying the mirror and chime, Yakumo stopped by a spiritual remedy shop a block over and timidly walked inside. She'd seen this place several times before but had never entered it before. She noticed right away that the atmosphere was very different inside the shop than outside it. It felt very cozy and safe.

"Can I help you?" An elderly woman at the counter asked.

"Uh...I need black onyx charms in the shape of crystals? I need it in necklace form so my sister will wear it without question."

The woman smiled knowingly. "Ah, so there is bad spirits hanging over you."

Yakumo felt a chill go down her spine. "I never said that. It's just a precaution."

Shaking her head, her long white hair swayed. "No, there is something hanging over you. I can feel it. It follows you wherever you go. It has not entered the store with you. I believe my charms have held it back."

"Can you help me?" Yakumo whispered.

Reaching to the side, the woman opened a glass case and pulled out two boxes. Opening the lid of one, she showed Yakumo the exact kind of necklace she was looking for. "This is what you need. One for your sister and one for yourself. I worry when a young one is being plagued by spirits so I'll sell you both for three thousand yen. I'll also include this package of cinnamon sticks. Place one or two of them above all the bedroom doors in the house."

"Cinnamon?" She asked skeptically.

"Trust me. I've been around a lot longer than you have and I know a thing or two about keeping the big nasties away."

Reaching into her wallet, Yakumo reluctantly handed over the three thousand yen and accepted her merchandise in a little black bag. Putting it in her shopping bag, she thanked the woman and headed for the door.

"Wait just a second." The woman called. Reluctantly, Yakumo turned around to face her. The woman came from around the counter and handed Yakumo a package of incense sticks. "Take everything you've been given to the shrine a mile away. Place the items on the shrine's alter and pray over them. When you get home, have these incense sticks made of sage burning while you place the charms around the house. Make sure the sage burns in all the rooms you use regularly. Good luck."

Overwhelmed, Yakumo's hands shook as she accepted the package. "Thank you."

As she backed out of the shop's open door, the uneasiness seemed to intensify. Was the woman right? Did the ebony haired ghost follow her everywhere she went? If so, Yakumo wasn't sure she ever wanted to be anywhere alone ever again. It was just too unnatural for a person to see spirits.

Clutching the bag of charms, Yakumo hurried to the bus stop and boarded the bus that would take her closest to the shrine.


	12. Chapter 12

**I WANT TO PUT THE STORY UP ONLINE BUT I'M A LITTLE RELUCTANT DUE TO THE BAD RESPONSE I GOT THE FIRST TIME I PUT IT UP ON FANFICTION. I'VE DONE A LOT OF EDITING AND I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY IT MUCH MORE THIS TIME AROUND.**

**PLEASE ENJOY CHAPTER 12! DISCLAIMER? REFER TO CHAPTER 1.**

**Chapter 12**

When the bus stopped a block away from the shrine, Yakumo could feel a heaviness in her heart, almost as if she felt guilty about trying to drive the spirit away. Shaking her head, she clutched her bag and stepped out of the bus.

"I can't come back for you girl." The driver called to her. "If you're here to visit the shrine, you'll have to walk home or call for a cab."

"I can manage." She assured him. After the bus drove into the distance, Yakumo headed for the staircase that led up the small mountain. She had been to this particular shrine for festivals before, most centering around New Years, beginning of Spring or All Hallows Eve. It was also the shrine she had found Lori at.

Hurrying up the seven flights of concrete steps, Yakumo was so out of breath when she reached the top that it took her a moment to notice that Harima was sitting on a bench near the shrine, art supplies in hand.

"Tenma's sister? How'd you find me?" Harima asked.

Of all the people to run into, Yakumo was glad it was him and not a stranger. "I didn't know you'd be here. I won't stay long. Please continue drawing."

"I'm actually here to draw a shrine in a scene for my story. This is the only one I know of so I figured it would be as good as any. While I've got you here, would you mind doing me a favor? Like, tomorrow maybe."

Sitting her bag on the ground by the bench Yakumo took a seat. "Sure, what do you need?"

"Well, in my story, one of the geisha girls visits a shrine and prays for a way to escape the tea house she works and lives at and be able to survive on her own. I'm no good at drawing kimonos up close so I was wondering if you would pose. I don't think I could ask anyone else without them thinking I'm some kind of pervert wanting to fantasize about them dressed up like that. And if you don't want to, I could get up the guts to ask Tenma..."

Blushing, Yakumo felt slightly flattered that he'd want to use her as a model for his drawings. But she felt like she needed to make it up to her sister by allowing her to model, even if she wasn't aware of Yakumo's lunch date with Karasuma. "I have club meetings everyday after school. It might be best if Tenma models. I can ask her for you."

Harima grinned like a love sick puppy. "That's great! So, what are you doing here? Prayer time? Don't let me disturb you, I'll be quiet."

Yakumo eyed the bag. Should she tell Harima? She might as well. The worst he could do is laugh at her. "If I tell you, promise that you'll keep an open mind about it? It's kind of difficult to accept."

Harima raised an eyebrow. "Are you pregnant?"

Blushing bright red, Yakumo looked down at her stomach and realized she had been resting her hands on it due to how uneasy she felt. "Oh, no! Not that at all!"

This time, it was Harima's turn to blush. "Crap, sorry. Stupid question. Anyway, go on."

Taking a deep breath, Yakumo glanced at the shrine quickly, wondering if the ebony haired ghost would suddenly appear if she told anybody. "I'm being haunted by a spirit. She looks a couple years younger than me and has long black hair and dark red eyes."

"You yankin' my chain?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

Yakumo shook her head. "No, I promise. I'm here today because I've bought some charms. I want to bless them by praying over them at the shrine's alter. You probably don't believe me..."

"No, I do. My cousin, the one I live with, has a friend who's into ghosts and stuff. She's done some seances at the apartment and I've seen some pretty freaky stuff." His mood seemed to suddenly darken all of a sudden. "The ghost hasn't done anything to Tenma, right?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so. My sister is terrified of ghosts. If she saw one, she'd scream and I'd hear her." She assured him.

"What kind of things do you have in the bag?" Picking up the bag, Yakumo pulled out the contents and let Harima examine each one. "I've heard of the Ba Gua mirror legend and the wind chimes but what about the rest?"

"Well, the onyx crystals can be worn as necklaces by Tenma and myself for personal protection no matter where we go. The cinnamon is to put over the doors of our bedrooms and the sage incense sticks are to burn in each room of the house while I put up the charms."

"Sage smells kind of weird burning." Harima said, his nose wrinkling. "You got any oil burners in the house? Burn oil at the same time. Something strong."

"I guess I better get started." She whispered. Picking up all the charms, she walked over to the shrine and sat everything on the alter. Opening the necklaces and pulling tags off everything, she arranged them all so everything was a few inches apart.

"Want help?" Harima asked before kneeling beside her. Opening the incense package, he placed one into the hanging incense holder near the shrine's alter and lit it with a pack of matches from his pocket.

Together, the two prayed over the items.

"_Stupid girl. Stop this." _

"Did you hear that, Harima?" She whispered.

"Hear what?"

"Nothing..." Shutting her eyes tighter, she tried to block out the sound of the ghost's voice.

"_I'm trying to help you! Stop it now! This won't stop me for long! I will find a way to make you suffer for trying to banish me!"_

Yakumo could hear the ghost's voice fading. Praying with all her might, she did not dare open her eyes until she could no longer hear anything but the wind and the sound of her and Harima breathing.

"She's gone." Yakumo smiled. She could feel a very heavy weight being lifted from her that she didn't even know was there. "Thank you for praying with me."

Harima looked around. "My animals... When you arrived, they became very silent. Now they're back to normal."

She could hear some birds squawking and some rodents running about faintly from somewhere, but the slight noise seemed to really reassure Harima. Picking up one of the necklaces, she clasped it around her neck and gathered the rest into her bag. "Thank you again. I should be getting back to Tenma. I was only supposed to be gone twenty minutes and it's been nearly an hour."

"Let me walk you home." He offered. "Trust me, there's some real sickos out there and some don't wait for the cover of nightfall to attack."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He smiled before following Yakumo down the steps.

"Uh... Would you do me a favor once we're there?" Yakumo asked once they were halfway down the stairs. "Distract Tenma for me while I put the charms up and burn the incense? I don't want her worrying and losing sleep because she thinks a ghost will attack her. Things like that used to give her nightmares..."

He blushed. "I'd be happy to. What should I do?"

"Maybe take her to the ice cream parlor a short walk from our house? I'll give you money for it."

It sort of hurt to ask Harima to take Tenma out for ice cream and even more to give up modeling for him to her sister. Yakumo was fairly sure she liked Harima but it served her right since she went on a lunch date with someone Tenma wanted. Lapsing back into a guilty state, Yakumo wasn't even aware that they had arrived at the house until Harima tapped her shoulder. "We're here Tenma's sister."

A second later, the door slide open and a slightly panicked looking Tenma ran right into Yakumo's arms. "Where were you?! I was afraid something had happened and you didn't bring your cellphone so I couldn't call you!"

"I'm sorry sis. I had to stop by several stores to find the tea you wanted. They were out at the grocery store. I ran into Harima and he's going to stay for dinner."

Looking over Yakumo's shoulder, Tenma smiled. "Hi there Harima! Three For The Kill's gonna be on early today! Wanna watch it with me?"

Harima seemed to revert into a puppy-like state around Tenma. With flushed cheeks and a silly grin on his face, he let Tenma drag him into the house by his shirt sleeve. Even though she loved seeing Harima look so happy, Yakumo needed Tenma out of the house for the next five or so minutes so that she wouldn't get suspicious.

"Tenma? Will you please do me a favor?" Yakumo asked as she entered the house. "I've decided that I'm making apple cobbler for dessert tonight and I'd appreciate it if you and Harima went and bought a tub of ice cream from the parlor. You can pick any flavor you want."

Tenma's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Apple cobbler! Yummy! Can I pick up the Sunday Surprise ice cream?"

"Any flavor you want." Yakumo smiled and handed Tenma a thousand yen bill. "Here's some money. There's extra so you can buy a small jar of butterscotch syrup."

"We'll be right back then!" Without a bit of hesitation, Harima let Tenma jerk him up off the floor where they were sitting and drag him right out the front door.

Not wasting a single second, Yakumo quickly locked the front door and dumped the contents of the bag onto the kitchen table. Picking up the incense stick box and the box of matches from a kitchen drawer, she fished out all the old incense holders from the upstairs hall closet and began to burn the incense.

When the smell of sage was almost too strong to stand, Yakumo took the cinnamon sticks and tied two together in a cross pattern with red thread before proceeding to place them above Tenma's bedroom door and her own with the help of a stepping stool. Running downstairs, she unlocked the front door and hung the wind chimes from a hook jutting out from a part of the house to the right of the door.

Hanging the Ba Gua mirror above the front door, she put away the stepping stool and snuffed out all the incense sticks. By the time Tenma and Harima had returned, Yakumo had lit cinnamon scented oil, wafted it through the whole house and pulled all the ingredients out for dinner.

"Yakumo, it smells amazing in here!" Tenma shouted. "The cobbler smells great!"

"That's not the cobbler. I lit some oil burners to make the house smell better. Go ahead and put the ice cream in the freezer."

"Tenma's sister? Are you sure it's alright if I stay for dinner?" Harima asked but didn't stick around long enough to get a response from Yakumo since Tenma drug him back into the living room. From the kitchen, Yakumo could hear Harima ask Tenma to model for his drawings, saving Yakumo the trouble of arranging it herself. Tenma agreed right away, obviously flattered.

Pulling the hair comb from her hair, Yakumo sat it on the table and used a ribbon to tie her hair into a ponytail. If she hurried and finished dinner by seven, she could show Harima to the door by eight or eight thirty and start practicing like Yukina san ordered right after.

When Yakumo was placing the dinner plates on the table, Tenma and Harima walked into the kitchen, both looking happy. "It's the best show ever, huh?"

Harima smiled and blushed. "The best ever. Maybe we could, uh... Watch the marathon of it together. They're gonna run the show all day next Sunday."

Yakumo watched Tenma's face carefully. She seemed like Harima's invitation almost flattered her. "That sounds like fun. We'll watch it here. Yakumo, you don't mind making some snacks for us that day, do you?"

"No, I don't mind. If I have a club meeting that day, I'll make sure to stock the fridge." Putting her focus into carrying the tea to the table, Yakumo tried to ignore the confusing thoughts.

It did slightly upset her that Tenma was going to spend all day next Sunday with Harima but she owed it to Tenma for having lunch with Karasuma. She felt as if she'd owe Tenma forever. It's not like Yakumo liked Karasuma or anything? In fact, other than a couple weird dreams and the once in a while run-in, lunch with him was the only time Yakumo had seriously conversed with Karasuma at all.

"Oh! It's so pretty!" Tenma gushed as she picked up the golden hair comb that Yakumo left sitting on the table. "Where'd you get it?"

"It was a gift from the Hostess Club." She said before taking it from her sister's hands. "See that necklace sitting on the counter? That's something I picked up for you. I have a matching one. We can always wear them as a sign that we're sisters and friends forever."

Tenma quickly picked it up and put it around her neck, much to Yakumo's relief. "Thanks! Love ya sis!"

With all the prayed over charms, Yakumo felt just a little safer than usual in her own home, which she was grateful for. She needed to be able to have one place that felt like a sanctuary after a long day of school and club duties. Even though the ghost had gone, Yakumo did fear her return. The ghost had said she'd find a way to make Yakumo suffer for banishing her.

Shivering, Yakumo tried to focus less on her own thoughts and more on the conversation Tenma and Harima were having.

"Yeah, I went to the club. I didn't know any of the girls very well but little rich girl decided to forcibly make me buy her time. I had to fork over five hundred yen to that brat just because she sat at the table for thirty seconds. I can only afford to visit the club once a week or I'll go broke."

Yakumo had been among those who passed out invites and she hadn't handed one to Harima. Maki san must have. Now that she was paying actual attention, she saw that Harima had a little gold pin hooked to the collar of his shirt with his initials on it.

"Did you get to see Yakumo? I wish I hadn't quit the club... It was lots of fun." Tenma lied, her eyes darted to the left for a couple seconds, her tell-tale sign that she's lied and feels guilty about it.

"No, I didn't see her. You really should have stayed. I would've visited you all the time." Harima told her, that lovesick grin showing up on his face.

"Hey, Yakumo? Didn't you say they're having some festivals during Spring Break? Maybe we should all go. Do you know when it is?"

"The sixth of May through the twelfth. And yes, they plan on having festivals at different shrines every day of the break. We can try to visit them all if you want."

Hearing the oven ding, Yakumo got up and pulled the steaming apple cobbler from it. Sitting it on a cooling rack, she hurried back to the table and quickly finished her food. It was already seven thirty and nobody had finished eating their dinner. She didn't want to disappoint Yukina san this quickly and make her regret taking her on as a little sister.

When the cobbler had cooled and the main plates had been cleared, Yakumo put slices of cobbler on little saucers and placed a scoop of ice cream on the side of each. "Is there a specific time you need to get home, Harima?"

Looking let down, Harima stared wistfully at Tenma. "Yeah... I gotta get home by nine or my cousin will lock me out of the apartment. It's an hour walk so after dessert, I'll head home."

"Awww, cheer up Harima." Tenma told him. "Next Sunday will be here before you know it."

When the plates of cobbler were sat in front of them, talking ceased for several minutes. Enjoying her own dessert, Yakumo finished eating quickly and carried her plate and cup to the sink to wash. Finishing his own plate, Harima handed his dishes to Yakumo and gave an apologetic smile.

"Thanks again for inviting me for dinner, Tenma's sister. I'm sorry that I'm in such a hurry or I'd help with dishes. I'll see you in class tomorrow, Tenma."

After Tenma escorted Harima to the door, she actually helped Yakumo by rinsing and drying the dishes. "Thanks sis. But it's okay. I'm okay with doing the dishes."

Looking unusually thoughtful, Tenma continued to help rinse dishes. "I just want to help out around here. You normally do everything so it's the least I can do."

Yakumo smiled warmly. "Thanks sis."

After a few minutes of silence, Tenma paused in her work, that thoughtful expression still there. "Yakumo? Can I ask you a question? I'd really like an honest answer, even if you think it'll hurt my feelings..."

Yakumo felt her breath catch in her throat. Had Tenma somehow found out about the lunch date with Karasuma? "Y-you can ask me anything."

"Do you think that Karasuma really has feelings for me?"

Nearly sighing in relief, Yakumo said a silent prayer that her secret stayed safe. "Honestly? I don't know. You've been to a wrestling match with him and you went shopping with him before. Both seem like excuses for him to see you out of school."

Honestly, Yakumo didn't think that was true. Karasuma had gone to lunch with Yakumo and considered it normal behavior. Maybe he thought taking a girl to a sports match and spending the day shopping with a girl was also normal.

Looking up at Yakumo, Tenma gave her an almost panicked look. "Please, give me a really honest answer. Everyone says he might like me but nobody ever says if he for sure does or doesn't. I know you don't know him as well as I do but...You're my sister and I know I can trust you with a truly honest answer."

The guilt nearly crushed Yakumo. "Oh sis... I really don't know if he likes you or not. Karasuma seems to keep his feelings to himself and he doesn't have very many friends. He's kind of too introverted for me to say..."

Tenma sighed. "I know, I know...I wish he'd open up more. I've tried being friendly and inviting him places and flirting but he just doesn't take the hint. Or maybe he knows I love him and he's playing dumb to avoid hurting my feelings."

"Sis, maybe... Maybe you should confess your feelings to him. That way, you'll know if he likes you or not."

Shaking her head and hands violently, Tenma accidentally dropped the fork in her hand onto the floor. "I couldn't! Not this soon! Maybe I could wait to tell him during Spring Break...He's gotta be attending at least one of the festivals."

As the dishes were dried and put away, Yakumo tried several times to find the courage to tell Tenma about going out somewhere with Karasuma. Giving up, she grabbed her hair comb and hurried upstairs to practice for the club.


	13. Chapter 13

**THAT HAS GOT TO BE THE LONGEST SUNDAY EVER. IT TOOK UP THREE CHAPTERS. I PROMISE TO TRY AND GET MORE DONE IN A SINGLE CHAPTER. THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH GOING ON THAT DAY AND THERE WILL BE EVEN MORE GOING ON IN THE FUTURE. **

**THERE'S A LITTLE OVER A WEEK BEFORE YAKUMO BEGINS ENTERTAINING. YUKINA SAN IS GOING TO TRANSFORM HER AND MAKE HER A GREAT HOSTESS.**

**FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT INSIST I WRITE ONE...**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SCHOOL RUMBLE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. ENJOY THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Chapter 13**

Arriving outside of room D14 in the West building on Monday morning, Yakumo knocked on the room's door and waited.

"Come in." Yukina san called.

Sliding it open, Yakumo's eyes scanned the room. It was similar to the club room but there was only one table, no stage and mirrors lining one wall. Stepping inside the room, Yakumo closed the door and went to kneel across from Yukina san at the table. "I'm ready for practice."

"Good. This room is used as a spare storage room by the school but they've agreed to let me use it as a private training room for you and myself if I pay a monthly fee for its use." She told Yakumo. "I also have to pay a monthly fee to mother because I'm being allowed to give a club member private training. It gives you an advantage and because of a little bet we have going on, she would rather Maki san's little sister apprentice make more money for the club by the end of the year than you."

"A bet?" Yakumo asked.

Standing up, Yukina opened a nearby closet and brought down one of the lacquered boxes. Sitting it before Yakumo, she opened the lid and showed her a very detailed furisode. The base of it all was white and was covered in different kinds of white and purple flowers of varying shades. At a few points, there was a hazy light blue color underneath the floral design and near the part that would wrap around the legs, there was a series of different sized black and white butterflies. In the box as well was a light blue under robe, a black obi with purple flowers and a few blue obijime cords.

"This is the kimono you'll wear for me today. There will be occasional days that I'll ask you to wear something different but this will do for most days. You also no longer have to put your hair up so elaborately on regular days. It's very pretty but it makes people think you're trying too hard. Not even I put my hair up during a school day."

Kneeling down before her, Yukina san began to sort through Yakumo's hair and pull pins out of place. Standing back up, Yukina picked up a lacquered wooden box off a waist high, empty book shelf and carried it to the table. Opening the lid, she let Yakumo admire all the shimmering hair combs and hair ornaments. "Where did you get all these?"

"They were all gifts. Some from my old hostess club, some from clients. It's one of the only appropriate gifts they can give you without offending or making another customer too jealous. On a normal day, put the red one mother and I gave you in your hair. Right now, put this one in."

Picking up a purple and gold comb with a porcelain water lily covered in varying shapes and sizes of dark and light colored amethyst, Yukina san showed Yakumo how to pull back the first layer of her hair and slide the comb in so that it could be viewed clearly if someone looked at the back of her head.

After spending fifteen minutes helping Yakumo put the furisode on, Yukina san pointed her in the direction of the three full length mirrors mounted to the wall. Looking over the kimono on her, Yakumo felt slightly overwhelmed.

"What should we do first?" Yakumo asked when she could tear her eyes away from the mirror.

"First, I want to give my good friend, Maki san a taste of her competition. Do not move. I don't want makeup on this kimono."

Taking a smock, Yukina san wrapped it around Yakumo's shoulders and began to smear a very light red lip gloss on Yakumo's lips and a very pale purple eye shadow on her eye lids. Removing the smock, she adjusted her own white and yellow furisode before helping Yakumo and herself into a pair of tabi socks and geta shoes and heading out the door with two parasols.

"Where are we going?" Yakumo asked as they hurried down the hall. "I thought we'd be practicing."

"We will tomorrow. Today, you need to start letting yourself be seen. If mother had let you start entertaining right away, everyone would have remembered you from the recital. But since she made you wait, it's up to me to make sure people know your face before the twenty-ninth."

"If you say so. What should I do today then?"

"Everyone is outside today because it's warmer than usual. But unlike normal days, they aren't keeping to themselves. There's a soccer match that is going to start in two hours. The team believes it will be an easy win so they're more relaxed and willing to strike up conversations with us. There is one member in particular that I want you to meet."

Remembering something mother had once said, Yakumo wondered if a soccer player would want to be her own client. That must be what mother meant when she said that the soccer players would play vital roles in everyone's futures. "So I should talk to a soccer player? Who?"

"I'll let you know by introducing you to him right away. You will give him your name and what year you are. But only if he asks. If he asks anything else and you feel unsure in any way of what to say, I'll answer for you, understood? Now take this parasol. It's just warm enough that you'll need one to help block the sun."

As they both bustled through the doors that led to the part of the school with the garden and soccer field, Yakumo was glad to have been handed a parasol. With a kimono this heavy on, she'd begin to feel hot in a matter of minutes. Luckily, there was a very nice breeze. Opening the lavender, lacquered umbrella, she rested it on her shoulder and followed her big sister.

Hearing high pitched laughter, Yakumo looked towards the outskirts of the soccer field and found several of the soccer players talking with the other hostesses. Each wore their matching red, flowery furisodes and had their hair done up in the same uncomfortable manner Yakumo had hers in all day until Yukina san fixed it.

When they had caught up to everyone, Yukina seemed to turn on the charm she had used when Yakumo saw her entertaining that first night. "Akira san! You've found some friends. Would you like to introduce me?"

When the five conversing soccer players looked to Yukina, some of them looked her over and one in particular with shoulder length black hair smiled. "Yukina. I've missed you."

Yukina gave a playful smirk. "It's only been two days Yousuke."

Looking a little irritated, mother gestured to Yukina san. "This is the third in command of our club, Yukina Hoshiko. I see you've done a little work on your apprentice."

"I thought we're all suppose to wear matching kimonos." Yumi san whispered to Maki san, who gave Yakumo a slight glare.

"Yousuke, this is my apprentice in training, Yakumo."

Yousuke, who had already started to stare at Yakumo, smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Giving her big sister a quick look, Yakumo bowed her head. "Nice to meet you."

"Excuse us please." Yukina said in mother's direction. "Would you like to take a walk in the garden with us?"

Grinning, he nodded. "Sounds great. I've earned a few minute break."

Yukina san placed a hand on Yakumo's lower back and gently pushed her to Yousuke's left side before taking her own place at his right. Looking down, Yakumo gave the two relative privacy while they talked about the club and the upcoming soccer match.

"I've got to do my best today because it's one of the final five games of the year. There's going to be scouts watching."

"You're in the running to receive a full sports scholarship. At least, that's what I hear." Yukina san said while nudging his arm slightly with her elbow.

"What about you, Yakumo?" He asked, suddenly bringing her into the conversation. "Are you going to try to go to college?"

Blushing, she tried to figure out if she was supposed to answer. Thankfully, Yukina san spoke up. "Yes, in fact she is. But she's a second year like myself so she has some time to think about where she'd like to go."

"You're so quiet." He said with a laugh. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing at all." She said carefully. "I'm only admiring the roses. They won't be this red for much longer."

Stretching his arms, Yousuke looked back at the field and then back at Yakumo. "I gotta hand it to you, Yukina. She's adorable. I'll be sure to request her if it's alright with you."

For whatever reason, this made Yukina san smirk. "I don't mind at all. She's only a beginning apprentice right now so she'll be in my care for a while before she's allowed to entertain on her own."

"Until then." Picking up Yukina san's hand, Yousuke gave the back of her hand a quick kiss before running back towards the field.

When he was out of hearing range, Yakumo gave her 'big sister' a confused look. "Did I do alright?"

"You did very well, Yakumo. He really liked you and that was our goal. Though attracting a man with your looks is only putting him on the hook. You need to reel him in with your skills. I'll be sure to guide him to a front row table for your solo performance on the twenty-ninth."

"What if everyone else's solo is better than mine though? Last time, I had to make my own dance moves-"

"Don't worry. This time, I'll choose your dance moves. This is not like a regular recital. Your performance is your debut as an official apprentice. That means that you have to start putting on your makeup the same way every time and styling your hair the same way every time. If you don't, they'll peg you as indecisive and think that you'll act the same way about them."

When Yukina san began to slowly walk towards the soccer field, Yakumo san caught sight of the others and their expressions. Most seemed confused or unconcerned. A few, however...

"Maki san is staring at us." Staring wasn't exactly the right word. More like glaring.

"She should be. I've given her a reason to be jealous." Yukina san said with a delicate shrug of the shoulders. "I've made you different. Maki san's apprentice is your friend, Sarah. Because Maki san has never been in a hostess club, she has no advantage. But I do. I have the supplies, the time and the intent to make you into something that will intimidate Maki san."

"I'm not exactly comfortable knowing you're using me for your own gain..." Yakumo whispered.

"I'm not going to lie to you. A big part of it is me using you to win this bet. But it also is a way to..." She trailed off, her eyes looking very distant.

"A way to what?" Yakumo asked.

Shaking her head, Yukina san turned towards the doors of the school and headed towards them. "Nothing, don't worry. We've shown you off enough today. Let's return to the club room so I can see where you are in your song and dance. I won't have time to teach you anything new today. Tomorrow, we'll begin learning the group routine you'll be doing on the day of your debut."

"I couldn't practice very much last night. It was a busy evening." Yakumo told her.

Opening the door to the school, Yukina san waited for Yakumo to close her parasol and walk in before entering herself. "I'm aware that you run the entire household at your home and have other commitments. Akira san told me. Just do the best you can do. That's all I can ask. If you promise to always put your best foot forward in this, I'll be satisfied."

"I promise." She said quickly, a little too quickly for her big sister's taste.

"Don't just quickly tell me you promise. I want you to really mean it."

As the two paused outside of room D14 in the West building, Yakumo faced Yukina san. "I promise I will do my absolute best. I didn't sacrifice time that should be used taking care of my sister on something I wasn't going to put my all into."

Smiling slightly, Yukina san reached out and lifted Yakumo's bangs. "You have the prettiest eyes. You don't see very many people with crimson irises. I'll need to start finding you things to wear to school that complement the color. That hair comb from our bonding ceremony is a good start."

Opening the door, Yukina san walked inside with Yakumo right on her heels. Shutting the door, she placed herself on a cushion at the table and pointed to the center of the room.

"Show me your solo routine from the recital that I missed."

"Yukina san-"

"Call me big sister or Onii san. It will help you get into the right mindset."

"Onii san... My friend tells me that this club offends him because it disrespects the traditions of a real geisha. Maybe we're offending a lot more people than we think and should not flirt with the intention of getting money."

"Yakumo... Trust me when I say that the things we do in this club are purely harmless. You remember the comedy skits that people do during festivals? They make fun of things like geisha and that is offensive. Even so, many people go and watch. But us, we create art. We give girls a chance to refine themselves and earn money for college and we give shy or reclusive boys a chance to speak to girls and build their confidence. We also bring good money into the school. Money that allows more clubs to stay open. Do you see just how much good this club is doing?"

Looking down, Yakumo nodded. When Yukina san wanted to, she could be very convincing. "I understand."

"Now could you please perform your solo from the recital for me? Akira san gave me a copy disc of the music you used."

Taking a deep breath, Yakumo took her beginning stance and waited for Yukina san to press play on the CD player sitting on the floor near the door. When the music started, she closed herself off in that safer part of her mind and let her subconscious perform the routine.

As Yakumo finished her dance, she dropped to her knees and did the back bend that had caused the crowd to clap very loudly. When the music stopped, Yukina san clapped as well. "Did you choose your own choreography entirely?"

Leaning back up, Yakumo went to sit at the table. "I looked up videos online and chose moves from each that I liked. I also did some research on how to tell a story through dance. So technically..."

"Even so, you did very well. My only critique is you don't make the audience believe the way you should. Yes, you're graceful, yes you have a unique way of moving, but you don't really bring enough emotion to your dance. I see it in your eyes. You've blocked yourself off from everything and you're running on standby so to speak."

"It's the only way I can dance without becoming anxious about the audience watching. What else can I do?"

Looking thoughtful, Yukina san stood and picked up a tiny box from the shelf. Sitting it on the table, she opened it and pulled out a medium length, red, silk ribbon and a fountain pen.

"Carefully write any words on this ribbon that make you sad or bring back any sort of dark or painful memory. Leave about four inches bare on each end. When you're done, tell me."

Taking the ribbon and the pen, Yakumo stared at it in concentration."Onii san? What if I only have a few things?"

"Write as much or as little as you'd like. Just write towards the middle, not out from it. Save the middle for the most painful thing."

Opening the pen, Yakumo shook it and began to write a few words that came to mind.

_Mother_

_Father_

_Death_

_Abandonment_

_Responsibility_

"I'm done." Yakumo whispered, her heart feeling heavy.

Picking up the ribbon carefully, Yukina san examined it.

"Responsibility makes you sad?" She asked.

"I feel like it robbed my childhood." She admitted. "My mother died when I was a baby and my father was so brokenhearted that he couldn't bring himself to care for my sister or myself. He hired a nanny for us until I was old enough to care for myself. Since I was six, I've been the only one watching out for my sister, acting as her mother in a way. When father died, we were all eachother had. Taking care of my sister was no longer something I just felt compelled to do but something I was obligated to do. My responsibility."

"You carry a heavy burden." Yukina san said softly. "What will you do when your sister goes off to college? It will give you more time to pursue your own dreams."

"I don't know what I want to pursue. I don't really think about what I would like to do with my life. I suppose I sometimes consider working as an animal doctor." Yakumo whispered.

"You have time, Yakumo. There's the rest of this year and the next before you need to have some semblance of a plan. I hate to cut the conversation short but it's time for you to go home. Tomorrow, we'll spend the entire day working on the routines you'll need to perform for your debut."

Almost sighing in relief, Yakumo stood up and quickly began to change back into her uniform. Talking to Yukina san was nice but the heavy topics that she brought out of Yakumo really pressed down on her heart. When she had helped Yukina san fold the kimono and carefully place it, and the hair comb, in their respective boxes, Yakumo was finally free to leave.

Bowing as low as she could while still standing, Yakumo leaned back up and gave Yukina san a warm smile. "Thank you for taking me on as your little sister, Onii san. I'll see you tomorrow after school."

"You'll see me before that. I've got plans for you. Don't worry, I won't need to pull you out of class." Yukina san told her. "Now hurry home. I've got some phone calls to make before I leave."

"See you then." Yakumo said quickly before grabbing her book bag and leaving the room.

As Yakumo was walking through the glass archway that separated the West building from the North building, Maki san slammed the North building's door open and grabbed a hold of Yakumo's arm. Dragging her to one of the glass walls, she pushed her into it.

"I'll pay you five thousand yen to make sure you don't keep a single customer until the end of the school year." She whispered aggressively. Even with the angry look on her face, she still managed to look positively beautiful. It made Yakumo wonder what Maki san thought she had to worry about. When Yakumo didn't immediately respond, Maki san pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. I'll pay you ten thousand yen."

Eyes wide and pulse hammering, Yakumo eyed both sides of the archway, wondering what her chances of escape were should she decide to bolt. "I don't understand. Is this about that bet you have with Yukina san?"

"What do you think? Are you gonna accept my offer or not?"

Even though Maki san looked positively livid and just slightly dangerous, Yakumo found what little courage she had left and pushed it forward. "No, I won't. Yukina san has put her trust in me and I'm not letting her down."

"Why you little-" She began say but paused. A menacing smirk took the place of her grimace. "Fine. Have it your way. There are more ways to get you out of the picture."

Backing away from Yakumo, Maki san walked casually back into the North building, a sway in her walk. With her heart still beating loudly in her ears, Yakumo waited until Maki san was out of sight before walking inside as well.

The following day, Yakumo had been confronted by Yukina san the second she entered the school, asking her to eat in the cafeteria for a change, Yukina san's treat. After a bit of coaxing, she agreed and headed to class. Figuring she had only wanted to eat lunch with her to discuss things relating to the club, she wondered why she didn't just invite her to eat in a classroom. So many people had switched to that that the lunch room was usually very empty most days. Taking her 'big sister's promise to buy her lunch at face value, she gave her boxed lunch to Sarah, who gladly accepted since she was finding it harder to provide her own lunch for school lately.

When lunch came around and Yakumo was on her way to the stairwell that led straight to the cafeteria, Yukina san appeared in front of her and grabbed her arm. Pulling her aside, she grabbed hold of the ruby and gold hair comb in Yakumo's hair and pulled it out. Confused, Yakumo stared at the crowd of passing students as Yukina san took a tiny hair tie from her wrist and put part of Yakumo hair up with it before putting the hair comb only halfway in. When Yakumo tried to push it the rest of the way into her hair, Yukina san grabbed her wrist.

"Leave it. You want it to fall out." She told her while beginning to apply more of that reddish color she used yesterday to Yakumo's lips.

"Why? It might get kicked into the crowd."

"It won't, trust me. In about half a minute, everyone else would have already gone to lunch, leaving the stragglers and the soccer team. They had drill practice in the upper gym today, instead of outside, since it's going to rain at any time. What I want you to do is walk down the hall when I say to and smooth your hair after taking ten steps. Make sure that you accidentally knock the hair comb out of your hair. Pretend you don't notice and keep walking. Trust me, okay?"

Confused, Yakumo nodded her head, if only because she wanted to know just what her 'big sister' had planned. "Should I start walking now?"

"Not yet. I'm going to start walking now. Count to ten and start walking after me. Pretend you're looking for something in your bag."

With that, Yukina san began walking towards the lunch room. Yakumo began to sort through her bag for nothing in particular. She could hear more footsteps heading this way but she ignored them, figuring that she should. When ten seconds had passed, she turned towards the way Yukina san had walked and casually followed after her. Taking ten steps, she reached up and smoothed back the top of her hair. When she felt the hair comb slip from her hair, she prayed it didn't break.

"Hey, miss! Wait for a second!" She heard a familiar voice call after her. Turning around, she saw Yousuke, the guy she had met yesterday, running this way. He stopped just long enough to pick up her hair comb before running up to her. "You dropped this."

Realizing that Yukina san had basically thrown her onto the battlefield with absolutely no game plan, she had to resist the urge to turn around and glare at her Onii san's back. "Did I? Thank you."

"Hey, I know you. You're Yukina's little trainee. We met yesterday." He said with a grin.

Smiling slightly, she took the hair comb back and placed it properly into her hair. She really didn't mind talking to Yousuke. He had this brightness about him that made him easy to talk to and nice to be around. "I remember. How are you?"

"I'm great. We won the game yesterday so our coach is treating us all to pizza. I'm kind of late to the party but I don't mind."

"You don't?" She asked.

"Any normal boy would prefer talking to a pretty girl over a couple slices of pizza. Tell you what. Why don't you come with me and have a slice. They said we could each bring a friend."

"Um..." Looking over her shoulder, she saw Yukina san standing at the vending machine, pretending to buy something. Nodding her head towards Yakumo, she wordlessly gave her permission to accept his invite. "Alright. If it's no trouble."

"You kidding? It's an honor." Holding out an arm for her like a gentleman, Yakumo placed her hand on his forearm and let him lead her to a classroom across from the stairwell. Yukina san did a good job of hiding her face so that Yousuke wouldn't recognize her. Apparently, she wanted Yakumo to go in alone on this.

When the door to the noisy classroom swung open, she saw that all the desks had been pushed towards the front and a few long, wooden tables had been sat up in their place, each connected at the corners and facing the center of the room so that it was like one big square table. When Yousuke entered with Yakumo, the entire room started cheering his name.

"Give a big hand to the captain that led us to victory yesterday, Yousuke Satori!" One shouted.

"Go Yousuke!" Another yelled.

"Take a seat by me." A fair haired boy called while pointing to a couple empty seats to his right. Turning to Yakumo, Yousuke gave her a grin before heading for the available chairs.

"Hey Daiachi. This is Yakumo. She's one of the hostesses I was telling you about. She's a friend of Yukina's."

"Hey there, cutie." He smirked.

Blushing, Yakumo tried not to look too detached from Yousuke. She was positive that she would have Yukina san mad at her if she messed this up. "Hi. I'm a second year. What year are you in?"

Both boys smiled, their eyes full of humor. "We're third years." Daiachi said. "You look so shy. Here, have some pizza. Do you like cheese or pepperoni?"

"Cheese please."

After Yakumo had accepted the pizza and taken a bite, Daiachi leaned back in his chair and turned to Yakumo. "So what does a hostess do?"

"I'm only in training right now, which means I do a lot of dancing and running around. If you'd like to know what a full hostess does, Yukina san would know better."

The fair haired boy turned to Yousuke. "Well, what do you do as a guest?"

"I hand over money for every little thing, that's for sure." He joked. "But in all seriousness, it's a great, cultural experience. Other than the chatting, games and food, it's kind of like watching a history lesson unfold."

"It might be fun. How do I apply to be a guest?"

Daiachi had asked Yakumo this question. Thankfully, Yousuke seemed to notice Yakumo floundering and took over. "I don't think you can apply for it, dude. I didn't. They randomly selected me out of the people they handed flyers to."

Shrugging, he took a big bite of his pizza. "Oh well. Maybe if I talk with the club director."

Yakumo wondered if it would be alright with mother if she gave them her name. She'd probably appreciate it if there were more that wanted to join. It would mean more money. "Akira Takano and Eri Sawachika are the lead directors of the Hostess Club. Talk to either of them if you have questions."

Daiachi nodded as he took another bite of pizza. When the drinks were passed around, Yakumo accepted a can of Sprite. If she chose anything dark colored, it might make her teeth yellow. Taking a sip, she took a moment to look at those around her while Yousuke and Daiachi talked. There was only two other girls in the room and neither were hostesses. Judging by how close they were to a couple of guys, Yakumo guessed they both were dating a soccer player.

"So Yakumo, what's your favorite part about the club?" Yousuke asked suddenly.

Searching her mind for a correct response, she decided to try her hand with flirting. Smiling slightly, she turned in her seat and looked him in the eyes quickly before looking down. She blushed honestly. It was so embarrassing trying to flirt. "Well, I enjoy the dancing quite a bit but there is something I like more."

When she chanced a glance up, both boys were looking at her with smiles on their faces. Yousuke spoke. "Oh, and what would that be?"

Leaning a little closer, the boys followed suit. "It has given me a great chance to practice my flexibility."

To her surprise, they both blushed before laughing. She flushed. Why were they laughing? "What a thing to say!" Daiachi said laughingly.

Yousuke grinned and put a hand on her head. "Look at her face. I don't think she understood what she was saying."

Blushing harder, Yakumo tried to figure out what they meant. She only tried to give them an image of her back bending, looking pretty and graceful as she hoped she did. Perhaps she went as far as to hope they imagined the outline of her breasts becoming more visible through the constricting fabric of the kimono. She knew enough of boys to know they were attracted to breasts. Some of the boys in her older sister's class were a testament to that. Feeling the warmth of Yousuke's hand on the top of her head distracted her slightly from her embarrassment.

Leaning at eye level, Yousuke gave her a gentle smile. "That was a very dirty thing for you to say. I think you do not understand exactly what it means."

Daiachi laughed loudly. "She's just playing innocent. I bet she knows. She's a second year, not a grade schooler."

She wasn't entirely sure if they were referring to the image of her breasts pressed against her kimono or not. If it was something else, Yakumo couldn't understand it. She bowed her head in mortification. "Forgive me."

"No need for apologies here." Daiachi said. "I thought it was cute."

Right then, the door to the classroom opened and Yukina san walked inside. It was as if the cavalry had arrived at last. Walking until she was standing behind Yakumo's chair, she put her hands on Yakumo's shoulders. "Has my apprentice been keeping you entertained."

Both boys laughed as if the joke were fresh. "Oh, quite! Your little apprentice is too innocent for words."

Yukina san raised an eyebrow at Yousuke's words before giving Yakumo a quick look. Smiling convincingly, she squeezed Yakumo's shoulders. "What has she said that it so funny?"

Standing, Yousuke leaned towards Yukina san and whispered something in her ear. As Yukina san's eyes lit in understanding, Yakumo looked up shyly. Leaning away, Yousuke laughed again. "I don't think she understands what it means exactly."

For some strange reason, Yukina san seemed pleased. "I doubt she does. She was raised in a strict household. Her best friend is a soon-to-be nun. I have not meant someone more innocent than she since I was in my first year of middle school."

Daiachi pointed towards a seat to his left. "Would you like to join us? There's too much pizza and I never invited anyone as my guest."

Yukina smiled politely. "I wish I could, gentlemen, but I am needed elsewhere. I will send someone to escort Yakumo chan back to her classroom once she has finished eating. While I am here...Daiachi. Would you be interested in becoming a guest of the hostess club? We'd love it if you applied."

He nodded. "That sounds fun. Where do I sign up."

Reaching into her book bag, Yukina san pulled out a folder. Pulling a paper from inside it, she handed it over. "This is the request form. When you finish filling it out in its entirety, just stop by room D14 and I will take it to where it needs to go."

"Sure, okay." He grinned. "Yousuke says there's food."

"Lots of food. In fact, the day that Yakumo debuts as an entertaining apprentice, there will be a lot of food and quite a bit of entertainment. Each debuting apprentice will be performing their own little routine. Perhaps you can view Yakumo's flexibility then."

Seeming to have convinced him to apply, Yukina san said her goodbyes to the widely smiling boys and exited the room. For the next fifteen minutes, Yakumo ate her pizza while Yousuke and Daiachi went back and forth between talking about the soccer game and asking Yakumo little questions about the club. When the bell rang and everyone stood up to head to class, Yousuke took his wallet out of his pocket and took out a thousand yen bill.

"Don't want your supervisors to think I jipped you. It is technically against the rules to hang out with hostesses outside of the club, even if they haven't started entertaining."

Yakumo held up a hand quickly, trying to figure out how to word it without offending him. "It is no charge. When the club is not in session, any amount of time I spend with you is for pleasure."

Hesitating with the money in hand, Yousuke put it back in his wallet before taking Yakumo's hand. Giving it a kiss, he held it a moment longer before his lips before dropping it. "I hope you find time for me in the future."

Blushing a little, Yakumo was unable to cool her cheeks until she had left the room and was on her way to her classroom. As she walked at a leisurely pace, she thought of how Yousuke seemed to fancy her, though she knew she could not truly encourage it since there seemed to be something going on between Yukina san and him. Even if she were free to encourage his advances, part of her was becoming more and more interested with a boy that she had recently been able to call friend.

'No!' She screamed internally. 'You cannot think of Karasuma that way. Sister would hate you...'

Banishing his stoic face from her mind, she hurried to class and tried her best to study.


	14. Chapter 14

**THIS IS THE NEXT CHAPTER OF 'OF CRIMSON AND SILK'. I HOPE YOU ENJOY. :) PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SCHOOL RUMBLE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. ANY EXTRA CHARACTERS IN THE STORY ARE OF MY OWN CREATION. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO PEOPLE LIVING, DEAD OR FICTIONAL IS ENTIRELY A COINCIDENCE.**

**Chapter 14**

"Today's the day!" Sarah said excitedly as she and Yakumo walked into school. Today's the day that Yakumo begins entertaining. Sarah and a couple others would also debut as the little sisters of a few of those who entertained when the club first opened. Those who were debuting had been ordered to wear their hair up so that it would not have to be styled later. Yakumo's was done in the elaborate style it had been styled in the day she performed in the recital. The gold and ruby hair comb was pushed into the front base for all to see.

"And what a beautiful day to do it." Tenma said happily. "I wish I could watch." It had gotten much warmer lately, making it much more enjoyable to walk to school. Since it was supposed to be quite warm all of this week, Akira san determined that Wednesday's meeting would take place outside. Vice Principal Izanagi assured everyone that they would have free range of both the club room and the garden until as late as midnight. As long as it was taking place outside that day, Akira san had given each club member permission to invite someone extra and to make sure they dressed appropriately. Meaning no kimonos unless they were a hostess.

"I already told you that you can go to the outdoor party Wednesday. I'll make sure to find you a good outfit."

Tenma frowned. "But it's not any fun if they tell you not to wear kimonos."

"It's to keep the guests from getting confused. If you dressed in a kimono, they'd think you were a hostess too."

"Exactly!" Tenma exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "I want them to think I'm a hostess. It would be fun."

"Wouldn't you rather get to go shopping for a pretty sundress that you could wear more often?" Yakumo offered, switching from her plan to lend her an outfit to buying her a new one. That bought over Tenma right away.

"That would be awesome! Think we could get Karasuma to go to the mall with us again?"

Shrugging, Yakumo was just about to walk up the stairs when her arm was grabbed. Turning, she saw it was Yukina san. "Enjoy your school day. I will send a pass for you halfway through your final class. That will give us about forty minutes to get you dressed."

Nodding, she bowed her head. "I won't let you down, Onii san."

"I'm putting my faith in you." Yukina san told her before hurrying to her own class.

Yakumo sighed deeply. Wednesday might be a relaxing day under the cherry blossom trees but tonight will be the night the doors of the club room were open to her as well. Under the dim lantern lights, she would dance and entertain and have to worry about how she behaved. She hoped beyond hope that she wouldn't mess anything up.

As her day progressed and the time to be called out of class quickly approached, Yakumo was becoming more and more nervous. When the office runner arrived to hand a pass to the teacher, the teacher pointed out Yakumo. "Tsukamoto san, report to your club room."

Standing, she gathered her stuff and left the room quickly. Once in the hall, she ran into Sarah, who was exiting her own final class. Sarah giggled and linked arms with Yakumo. "Are you excited?"

Yakumo smiled. "Yes but the nervousness beats it out."

"I know." She whispered. "If I embarrass Maki san, she'll see to it that I'm kicked out of the club."

Yakumo frowned. "Does she treat you alright?"

"She is hard on me so that I will learn. If I fail today, I fail completely. What about you? Does Yukina san treat you well?"

"Oh, yes. She's very kind. She has taught me well. Remember, have fun today. If Maki san says to do something, just oblige."

Sarah nodded, taking in Yakumo's advice. When both of the girls reached the main club room, they gave eachother slight smiles before parting ways. When Sarah was shut in the noisy room full of panicked girls, all fighting for room to get ready, Yakumo hurried to the private practice room that Yukina san had paid to have from her own pocket, just to win the bet she had with Maki san and mother and possibly more people.

Arriving, she knocked and waiting for a response before sliding the door open and stepping inside. The first thing her eyes landed on was the kimono stand positioned against the far wall. On it was a scarlet red kimono with black, white and orange accents on the sleeves, part of the chest and from the knees down. At first, it was like a red and orange sunset covered in white blossoms. As it went down, a series of white blossoms were arranged to look like sea foam. At the very edge of the sleeves and feet of the kimono, it was a jet black with little white and sapphire blue waves, symbolizing the ocean darkening as night approached.

Yukina san, who was sitting calmly at the little table, drinking tea, smiled. "That is your kimono. I wore it for my own debut as an apprentice at my old school. Mother knows how I am helping you and she will no doubt arrange from some of the other girls to dress in something other than the uniform in an attempt to outshine you. Don't take anything mother or Maki san says or does to heart. Not yet, anyway. Hurry and undress. We don't have much time."

Quickly undressing, Yakumo had just sat aside her uniform when Yukina san helped her put on a pair of white tabbi socks before picking up a sunset orange underrobe and helped Yakumo put it on. Looking in the mirror as it was properly folded around her, Yakumo saw that a small red lining had been sewn on the inside collar. "What does this mean?"

"I've convinced Akira san that we should make it more authentic. Geisha have linings sewn in their collars to symbolize their level of experience. Mine has a white lining and yours has a red one since you are an apprentice. I tell you now that you are to do as you did the day I introduced you to Yousuke. Be silent unless they ask your name or year. Anything else and I will answer on your behalf."

As the actual kimono was put on Yakumo's back, she realized that it was made of an even finer silk than her underrobe. After it was brought around her properly, Yakumo held the edge of it to her middle while Yukina brought out a sunset orange obi with another black ocean design, minus the blossom sea foam. When the kimono was completely tied into place, the ruby hair comb was removed from her hair and replaced with a white blossom arrangement on a wooden hair comb. Placing that where the ruby comb had been, Yukina san pulled out a four inch wooden stick with strands of little sea pearls dangling from it. Placing that to the side of the bun, she had Yakumo sit while a smock was placed around her shoulders.

When the makeup was brought out, Yakumo relaxed. She was so tense right now, if she didn't calm down, she'd freeze up during her debut dance. She had been practicing the dance for the past few days, even going as far as to meet Yukina san at the school on Sunday to practice. It had taken so much of her time last week that she had not even been able to stop and look around for Karasuma in the halls, as she had begun to do before Yukina san took her on as a younger sister.

When the face was painted white, the area around the eyes black with red and the lips red, Yukina san waved a fan in front of Yakumo's face to dry it before the warmth in the room made it run. After a few minutes, everything was set aside and Yukina san took a step back. "Complete."

Standing, Yakumo turned on her heel and stared at herself in more awe than she ever had. The one time that Yukina san did her white makeup, it turned out so much better than it ever had when Eri sama or even Yakumo herself did it. Looking at her Onii san for a moment, she had to look towards the sky to keep tears from running down her made up face. When she had them under control, she bowed her head low.

"Thank you."

"Do not thank me yet." She whispered, her eyes far away. "When we have won the bet, we'll celebrate then. Come. We must hurry to the club room. Remember, do not drink much tea. Using the toilet in a kimono is very difficult. Did you remember to use it after lunch?"

"I used it an hour ago." Yakumo assured her as the two of them slipped on their wooden geta shoes and left the room. Pulling out the key, Yukina san locked it and hid the key in her obi. "Soon, I will give you a key to this room as well. Do not lose it or lend it to anybody, no matter how much a friend they say they are. Nobody will ever have a valid enough excuse to be let in this room unless accompanied by you or I."

"Yes, Onii san." Yakumo tried to say but was interrupted by whistles. Two students walking through the glass tube towards the direction Yakumo and Yukina san were leaving stopped to give them big grins.

"Where's the party?" One asked. Yukina san did not even look their way. "Oh come on, cuties! Don't be like that!"

Tensing up, Yakumo feared they might try to follow them and force them to stop and talk. Holding her breath, she did not let it out until they both had made it into the main school building. "Do not worry about them. As long as you don't engage them and walk with purpose, you should be fine. No matter where you are heading, if boys like that try to follow you, immediately walk into a more crowded area. Don't ever lead them towards an empty room."

"Why?" Yakumo had to ask.

"Because they might try to take advantage of you. It would ruin your reputation and worse. Even if they only want to talk privately and have no ill will, do not go with them unless the area is full of people."

"Take advantage?" She asked again, feeling quite childish. She had heard the term before but had never tried to find out what precisely it means before now.

Yukina san sighed as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. "I will explain later. It will be very important later but for now, all I want you to do is act innocently."

Nodding, she was able to calm herself until they both stopped in front of the club room. Her breath hitching, she watched nervously as Yukina san opened the door a crack and looked inside. Yakumo stepped forward, curious. "What do you see?"

"The guests are already here. All the regular hostesses are entertaining with their debuting little sisters at their sides. Good. I want you to arrive last. It will make all turn to look at you. Before we enter, there is one last thing."

"Yes?" Yakumo asked as Yukina san reached into her obi and pulled out the red ribbon Yakumo had written on. Without warning, Yukina san knelt and parted the layers of Yakumo's kimono. Standing in shock, she looked around the empty hallway, afraid someone was watching. Putting the ribbon around Yakumo's thigh, she tied it tightly.

"You are afraid of failing, Yakumo. I can tell. You fear your weaknesses. When you wrote on this ribbon, you put all your weaknesses on it. Keep it here so that you know that you have hold of your weaknesses and that they are no longer within you."

Putting Yakumo's kimono back in place, she gave her a little smile. Returning it, Yakumo took a deep breath and watched as Yukina returned to the door. Opening the main door entirely, Yukina san took her shoes off and then glided into the room with Yakumo on her heels. Turning to shut the door, Yakumo took her own geta off and hurried to catch up with Yukina san, who was taking a seat at a table that contained Yousuke, Daiachi and two other boys that she recognized at the pizza party. She was almost positive that one had a girlfriend present at that point.

Yukina san smiled as Yakumo sat about a foot behind her and to the side. "This is my apprentice, Yakumo. It's her very first time entertaining."

Bowing as she was taught, Yakumo allowed herself only a quick glance at Yousuke. "I beg your indulgence."

Yousuke flushed in slight pride as he caught her eye briefly. It was clear to all at the table that what Yakumo said had been mostly aimed towards Yousuke. Yukina san did not seem upset by this. In fact, she seemed pleased. Yukina san gestured towards Yakumo. "Tell me, what do you think? She's a pretty thing, no?"

"Really pretty." One of the soccer players said enthusiastically, though his attention was immediately

taken away when a tea tray was sat in the center of the table which also contained wagashi, little dough and bean paste sweets, to be eaten after the tea was enjoyed.

"Why don't you pour tea for the gentlemen, Yakumo?" Yukina san said, gesturing towards the dark blue tea pot with the blossom design painted on it.

Bowing her head, she passed out the cups and picked up the tea pot carefully before pouring tea, left to right. When she had just sat the tea pot back in the middle of the table, the door slid open and Oji Karasuma set foot inside. As much as she tried to prevent herself from doing so, her eyes were glued to him for a second longer than they should. To her surprise, he met her gaze and kept it. Only Yukina san seemed to catch it though.

Yukina san was quick to wave him over. "Karasuma san! How good of you to come! Join us?"

Walking across the room, Karasuma took a seat to Yousuke's right. Yousuke seemed pleased. "Karasuma, hey man. Thanks for talking to the Vice Principal about getting us a game with Yūhi Academy. That sort of win for us in front of talent scouts was exactly what we needed."

Karasuma gave him a blank look. "It was no problem. I was happy to help."

"Would you like some tea?" Yakumo asked before she could stop herself. Picking up a tea cup from the tray, Karasuma held it halfway across the table without uttering a word.

As Yakumo picked up the tea pot and leaned forward, a scene from a geisha movie she had watched recently entered her mind. Eying her sleeve, Yakumo lifted it by its edge and moved it out of the way, exposing a few inches of her pale forearm. Pouring the tea carefully, she was secretly pleased when his eyes went directly to that exposed bit of skin. When his cup was nearly full, Yakumo lifted the pot, and placed it on the tray before moving her kimono sleeve back in place.

"I can't wait for the next game." Daiachi said excitedly, missing the display entirely. In fact, the only two to catch it at all was Yukina san and Karasuma himself. Giving Yakumo a quick look Yukina san led the conversation, getting everyone to talk about the blossom viewing party that would take place on Wednesday. Feeling his eyes on her, Yakumo chanced a look up at Karasuma. When she saw that he was not even glancing her way, her eyes flitted to Yousuke, who had not only been looking in her direction, but taking in every inch of her.

Blushing, she was almost relieved when the club assistant knelt at the table to tell Yakumo to hurry behind the stage. Bowing her head to Yukina san, Yakumo stood. "I will be back shortly."

"Your music has already been given to mother for the CD player. Do not feel nervous." Yukina told her softly. "Have fun and remember...Your weaknesses are hidden and you are in control of them."

Nodding, Yakumo walked moderately fast towards the stage. Walking up the little steps, she walked behind the curtain and hurried to the girls that were lined up. Mother was already there, waiting there.

"Yakumo, you will perform third, after Umeko." Mother told her. Taking her place in line, she gave Sarah one last encouraging look before she was escorted on stage. As she waited her turn, Yakumo tried to keep the story of her dance in mind so that she did not mess up. It was about a young girl leaving her home and traveling up the mountains to ask the gods that they bless her village. To show that they had heard her prayer, they sent a shower on golden rain down on her village and brought many fish to the ocean that surrounded it. It was entirely created and choreographed by Yukina san.

When it was finally Yakumo's turn to perform, the crowd was already cheering from the previous routines. Taking her stance at center stage, Yakumo forced herself to stay aware of where she was. Keeping the ribbon on her thigh in mind, she took a deep breath, waited for the music and begun to dance. Each time she turned in the direction of the audience, she had to fight the desire to look out at them. Halfway through her dance, she brought out two red and gold fans and began to twirl them. Besides her own private fan dance practice, Yukina san had taught her very quickly and very well.

As she tossed a fan in the air and caught it on the other side of her, her eyes finally flitted towards Karasuma. He had brought out a camera and was taking pictures. Maybe this means that he's agreed to take back his position as club treasurer. In the same eye sweep, she also caught sight of Maki san and Sarah kneeling beside Yukina san. Leaning across the table, Maki san said something to Yousuke that made him look at Yakumo in confusion. Not letting her worry show, Yakumo took her finishing stance before bowing head to the audience and hurrying off stage. She did not miss how the crowd cheered almost as loudly as they had the night of her recital dance.

As shy Kimi, who Yakumo thought was a first year, did her graceful little debut dance, Yakumo was able to pull Sarah aside back stage. "You did very well."

Sarah flushed in pride. "You think so? I'm so glad. You did incredibly. Did you hear them cheer? Did Yukina san teach you the group dance?"

Yakumo nodded. "Yes. She explains it so well that I'm sure I can perform it in the group without messing up. The solo dance was all I worried about."

"Where did you get your kimono? It's beautiful and really soft." Sarah complimented as she ran her fingers on its sleeve. Yakumo took in Sarah's kimono, which was a pretty pink color with a white and gold obi.

"It was lent to me by Yukina san."

"Maki san ordered me to wear this one. It turns out a new shipment of kimonos were sent in after Karasuma san agreed to be the club's treasurer and technical producer again."

"He agreed to return?" Yakumo asked quickly, surprised that she had not heard anything. Being tucked away in a different part of the school with Yukina san was keeping her from staying up to date on what was happening in the club.

"Yeah. From what Emiko san overheard, he only agreed to return on one condition. Emiko san was shooed away before she could hear the condition."

Yakumo briefly wondered if she could coax the condition out of him. When an image of her going out to lunch with Karasuma again entered her mind, she had to forcibly push it aside. Luckily, her thoughts were taken over by Eri sama when she hurried back stage. "Get ready, girls. The group dance is in thirty seconds. When I say go, hurry on stage and pose. Remember, your big sisters are performing this dance with you. Don't embarrass them and don't take up all the room."

As Eri sama motioned to the girls, they hurried on stage quickly and took the beginning pose. The story that their dance told was of a great empress and her servants. It was the day of the empress's wedding and her servants were preparing her by putting oils on her hands and feet and a veil on her head, which was displayed with the use of a white silk handkerchief. The plum role of empress had been given to Yukina san and the role of head servant had been given to Maki san.

As the dance reached its end, it told the story of how the empress was left standing at the alter by her true love. The role of the leaving groom-to-be was played by the tall and statuesque Kimi. Her aqua hair had been covered by an elaborate hat made of brocade and feathers, her face covered by a Noh mask of a man's face. The mask's expression gave one the feeling he was nervous about something. The ending pose showed Yukina san on her knees, praying for her love to return. Each servant knelt around her, their heads bent in prayer as well.

While it was much too complicated a dance for the average teenage boy to understand, Yakumo found it absolutely beautiful and felt that Karasuma would feel the same. Yakumo was equally impressed with how mother had knelt on the side of the stage and played shamisen, instead of using the CD player. Perhaps this meant that everyone would be able to learn shamisen now. According to mother's tier list, it was now time for Yakumo to begin not only her shamisen lessons but tea ceremony as well. She was now suddenly grateful that she had been involved in the tea ceremony club. This gave her a background to help her with that particular skill.

As the girls filed off stage, Eri sama guided them down the stairs and told them to return to their seats. When Yukina san had taken her place at the table she was at earlier, Yakumo sat beside her. Yukina san was quick to ask their opinions. "What did you think?"

"It was really pretty." Yousuke complimented, his eyes going from Yukina san to Yakumo. The other soccer players at the table said variations of the same thing.

"And what did you think, Mr. Treasurer?" Yukina san asked Karasuma.

Looking up from his now cold cup of tea, his dark eyes held a look that Yakumo was sure was interest. "I thought it was a great improvement from the recital. There was actually meaning behind all the dances this time. Except for the final solo dance, that is."

Yukina san pulled a fan from her obi and fanned her face. She had put such work into the group dance that she was near sweating. Pulling a fan from her own Obi, Yakumo followed her lead. The last thing she wanted was for her makeup to melt. "I know what you mean. The last soloist, Umeko san, is one of the slower learners. We have so many girls to teach that we sometimes cannot make sure that each girl does not take creative license."

"What will go on Wednesday?" Daiachi asked, looking bored of everything except staring at Yakumo.

Yukina san answered on her behalf. "There will be more dancing, food, a couple auctions and pictures with the hostesses under the blossom trees."

This seemed to perk him up. "What kind of auctions?"

"We're auctioning off a date with one of our star hostesses, Maki Matsumoto. The other is a smaller auction for a kiss with the apprentice of their choice."

This perked up everyone at the table except for Karasuma, who was as emotionless as ever. Nobody but Yakumo seemed to notice that he only slightly raised an eyebrow. Yousuke gave Yakumo a quick look, letting her know which apprentice he would choose to kiss. Yukina san giggled at their reactions. "Gentlemen, there are rules for the auctions. The date must take place at the Tokyo Shrine Park and will last from noon until two in the afternoon on Sunday."

"What about the kiss?" Yousuke asked. "Is it any kind of kiss?"

"These little apprentices are all so innocent. You wouldn't want to scare them. The rules for the kiss are firm or you risk losing your guest pin. No open mouth and the kiss can last for only five seconds. No pictures of the kiss can be taken. Things like that can get this club shut down."

The soccer players nodded. Everyone understood that a picture like that bouncing around with rumors that an auction took place could get any school club shut down. Even Yakumo realized how careful they would have to be to keep something like that quiet. The one to win the kiss would have to show absolute discretion. In fact, all who heard of the auction would have to do the same.

"We understand." Yousuke assured her. "Nothing that is said leaves this room, right?"

"Exactly." She said with a smile. "Now, who would like to play a drinking game?"

Everyone but Karasuma and Yakumo smiled. Drinking? Standing, Karasuma bowed his head. "I will have to bow out. I promised Takano san that I would have the footage edited and made into DVDs by morning."

Yakumo was quick to bow in return. When Karasuma had left, Yukina waved over Eri sama. "Bring us some sake, if that is alright."

"Ah, it sounds like things are about to get fun at this table." Eri sama said with a smile. "I'll have one of the girls fetch it immediately."

Five minutes later, a tray was sat on the table that contained one sake pitcher and six little sake cups. Yakumo gave Yukina san a worried look. Putting the fan back in front of her face, Yukina san leaned towards Yakumo. "Do not worry. You don't have to drink any. If they ask you to, just wet your lips with it."

Nodding, she watched in slight shock as Yukina san poured sake into each cup. Placing the pitcher back down, she looked thoughtful. "What game shall we play, gentlemen? Oh, I know! We'll play a guessing game. I will think of a fruit. You get three tries to guess it or you have to drink a cup."

"Do we get to ask questions?" Daiachi asked, a grin on his face.

"One question. It has to be specific, though. Like asking if the fruit contains seeds or a pit. Okay, let's begin with Yousuke. Um...okay, I have one."

Looking thoughtful, Yousuke, smiled. "Apple."

"Wrong." She said with that clever little smile of hers.

"Does it have little seeds or a pit?" He asked.

"A pit."

"Plum?"

"One more guess."

"A peach?"

"Wrong again. The answer was avocado. Drink up!" She said teasingly before picking one of the cups up and handing it to him. Quickly and without regret, he took it and downed it in one gulp.

"My turn to ask somebody." Yousuke smiled. It was clear that he was a lightweight. Only one little cup had caused his eyes to start to dilate. Two more cups and he'd be tipsy. "Yakumo."

Yukina san was quick to defend her. "Yakumo is only a novice. She is not permitted to drink."

"Oh, come on. A little sip won't do any harm." Daiachi defended, trying to get everyone to go along with Yousuke.

"Oh, I suppose so as long as it is only a tiny sip. She is so thin and young that I'm certain any more would make her drunk." Yukina said. It was an overstatement, Yakumo was sure. She had never tried alcohol before but she was sure that it would take at least a full glass to affect her. The glasses were tinier than the palm of her hand, after all.

"Alright, I've got a fruit." Yousuke said after a moment.

Thinking quickly, she decided on a question that would narrow it down. "Is it a red fruit?"

"Yes." He said with a slight frown. Knowing that it was red left few answers.

"Strawberry?" She asked.

He frowned a moment before allowing her a smile. "Wow, on your first guess."

"You know the rules, Yousuke." Yukina san said teasingly. "If she guesses, you have to drink her cup in her place."

Taking that cup, Yousuke downed it with a smile. This time, he really did look like he was close to being tipsy. For the next five minutes, the game continued. In the end, everyone at the table lost at least once. When Yakumo was handed a cup, she politely put it to her lips and wet them, not actually letting any of the liquid get in her mouth. So as to venture a proper reaction, she licked her lips quickly. The sake itself was flavored to have an apple taste. Combining that with the taste of her lip paint created almost a bitter taste on top of the sweetness. Scrunching her face, she placed the full cup on the table.

Laughing, Yousuke was almost too quick to take the cup that had just been against Yakumo's lips and drink it as well. He gave her a seductive smile. "I bet you taste as sweet as this sake."

"I loved getting to spend the entire meeting with you gentlemen but it will not be able to happen again for a while." Yukina san said sadly.

Yousuke, in his tipsy state, pouted rather childishly. "Why?"

"Because this is a special time in Yakumo's apprenticeship. There are so many people I wish to introduce her to that I can't possibly get it all done, even if I only spent a portion of the club meeting with you gentlemen."

This perked Yakumo up. She wondered if her Onii san was just trying to make her sound important or if there are really a lot of people she's supposed to meet. Since there were only thirty people here, if she bid their time, she would certainly be able to talk to each guest at least once and for a decent amount of time. School did not officially let out until June 8th.

When Yukina san bowed to say her goodbyes, Yakumo followed suit. Both standing, they hurried to the front of the room to talk to mother, who was sitting mid stage, going through some papers. "The whole hour was spent at table six with Yousuke. He agreed to cover the cost for him and his friends."

Writing it down, mother nodded. "What were their reactions."

"They seem pleased. I have high hopes for her. Keep your purse on hand. You'll need it."

Turning quickly, they both put on their geta and left the room without talking to any other guest. When the door safely separated them from everyone else, Yukina san grabbed Yakumo by the wrist and began to quickly walk her down the hall. At the bottom of the stairs, Yakumo began to stumble.

"Onii san, please wait!" Pausing in the hall, Yakumo looked at Yukina san's worried face in concern. "What is it?"

"While you danced, did you happen to notice Maki san going to talk with Yousuke?"

She nodded. "I did. What did she say?"

Giving her a very stern look, she grabbed her by the wrist again and started hurrying once again. "I'll explain in the room. Hurry."

As they finally unlocked their private club room and shut themselves inside, Yakumo was able to sink to her knees as quickly as she dared in her delicate kimono. "Will you tell me now, please?"

Kneeling before her, Yukina leaned forward. "I did not think she would stoop so low but Maki san and possibly even Yumi san are going to spread rumors about you to assure that you don't win the bet. If rumors spread around that damage your reputation, you'll never last in the club. Only those with honorable reputations are allowed to be club members. There are things I can do to snuff out rumors but not without your help."

"What can I do?" She asked helplessly. She shuttered at the thought of her reputation getting so damaged that not even Sarah would be in the same room as her.

"Be yourself. You're an innocent girl and you may not realize it but your very eyes demand respect. You want to keep that innocence. This means no dating, no talking alone with a boy unless there are others present that will protect you. The only reason I allowed you to attend that party with Yousuke was because I knew the coach would be there. And, for Heaven's sake, don't ever trust a word Maki san or anyone connected to her say. Not Yumi san and her apprentice, Emiko, not Sarah."

"Not Sarah?" She nearly yelled, panicking.

"If Sarah were to come up to you and say that Maki san wanted to talk to you or if she were to say I wanted to talk to you, don't trust that. If I want to speak to you, I'll find you on my own. Anything Maki san has to say to you will not be of any benefit."

"What if she says mother wants to speak to me?" Yakumo finally asked, her head swimming. She was taking too much in to handle. She was not willing to sacrifice her friendship with Sarah for this club.

"Mother can be located in the club room an hour before school and half an hour prior to the club room doors closing. If Sarah tries to lure you there at any other time, it is most likely a trap. Same for if she says mother is waiting for you in a room other than the club room. I am not trying to tear apart your friendship with Sarah. I'm trying to protect you."

"Onii san, I want to trust you but I'm confused. Sarah would never do that to me."

"She's a sweet girl and her intentions are good but she's easily manipulated. Maki san can bribe or blackmail her into doing something she wouldn't normally do. Maki san is not a good person. May I tell you something that might shed some light on quite a bit of this?"

Yakumo nodded. "What is it?"

Looking down for a moment, a bitter look came across Yukina san's face. "Maki and Yumi san did not always go to school here. A year ago, They both attended Ichijiku High School together. That is the school I attended before coming here. At the time, I was a first year and they were second years. The hostess club had been made a year before I arrived and both girls had just become members when I started High School. At Ichijiku High, the hostess club was not open to freshmen. At least, it wasn't originally. When I arrived and the mother of the club got a good look at me, she was quick to invite me to be a member. I had decided to try out for the Ichijiku Beauty Club and she heard I was talented and pretty.

Maki and Yumi san were furious, mind you. They couldn't stand competition and that is what they saw me as. Besides me, there was another girl named Mara. She was even prettier than any girl ever to be in the hostess club there. Not even a month after becoming a member, she was almost taking Maki san's spot as top earner. She had even surpassed Yumi san and me. You see...I was made Maki san's younger sister. She hated this but knew she couldn't jeopardize my chances if she wanted to ever get higher in the ranks. If someone has a disgraced little sister and it can be proven it was the fault of the older sister, it makes everyone see them badly.

At the very end of the previous school year, I was walking with Maki san to the club room. When she opened the door, I noticed that the club's mother wasn't there. In fact, there was a boy from my class standing by the window...She told me 'Go fetch Mara, Yukina chan. Tell her that mother is looking for her.' Being the naïve girl that I was, I walked around until I found Mara san putting on her shoes, about to leave. I quickly told her that she was wanted by mother in the club room and she rushed to answer the call..."

Yukina san trailed off, looking haunted by her past. Eyes wide and entirely captured by the story, Yakumo leaned forward a little more. "What happened to Mara san?"

"At the time, I didn't know. I followed after her and stood outside the door. As soon as Mara walked in, Maki san exited the room and locked her inside. I could hear her screaming and tried to force open the door but Maki san held me back. It was so late in the afternoon, we were the only ones still there. After a few minutes of screaming and some other sounds I didn't understand, it got very quiet. Maki san unlocked the door and the boy from my class hurried from the room. His shirt was no longer tucked into his trousers."

Yakumo tried to put the pieces together. "Did he see her naked?"

Yakumo's childish question seemed to amuse Yukina san but the smile that tugged at her lips was nearly humorless. "I suppose he did. After that afternoon, Mara san never came to school there again. I heard she transferred to Yūhi Academy. It was at the very end of that school year that I realized what had happened that day. She was raped and Maki san assured it would happen. I was so angry about it, I told mother who threatened to report Maki san to the authorities. After days of negotiation, Maki and Yumi san agreed to arrange to be transferred to Yagami High. Since arriving they've fought tooth and nail to create a Hostess Club here."

"If it was them that wanted the club, why did they let Takano san and Sawachika san be in charge?" Yakumo asked after she got over her initial shock.

"Just because they were sent away, doesn't mean the Ichijiku club mother doesn't check up on them. She heard what they were trying to do and made a bargain. She'd allow the club to be made but neither Maki san or Yumi san can have any positions of authority. Yumi san may not have been there the day Mara san was hurt but she's far too easy for her sister to manipulate to do her bidding. During the beginning of this semester, the Ichijiku club mother found out Maki san had managed to worm her way into third in command. This was a big problem."

"Why?" Yakumo asked. "When she was third in command, it didn't give her any privileges except helping decide who made it into the club."

"That's more of a privilege than you think. Besides, it also put her close to the ears of mother and Eri sama. She can get away with more that way. Worried that she'd abuse the power, Ichijiku club mother made a tough decision. Right now, I live alone and am free to choose which school in the area I attend. My grades allow this as well. She asked me to attend the final semester of this year at Yagami high to put Maki san in her place. By that time, I had earned a very high ranking place in the club there. She knew I could handle it then."

"You've taken her out of third spot. Do you plan on finishing your high school education at Yagami High?" Yakumo asked quietly.

"Yes, I probably will. Switching schools constantly will look bad on my transcripts. Even though I took Maki san's place as third, that doesn't mean she can't work her way back. If I did leave, it would be like handing the spot to her. The only possible way to prevent this is to make sure that she finishes out the rest of this year without incident. Mother and Eri sama are not skilled the way the club mother is at Ichijiku. She actually took dance, song, shamisen and tea ceremony for years because her mother was once a Geisha. Because of this, mother and Eri sama chose girls mostly by talent and a little by beauty. It should have been by both evenly. Maki san, Yumi san and you are the exception."

"I'm the exception too?"

"The day I met you, I could tell you had great talent and beauty to match. This means that you are the greatest threat for Maki san. This is less about a bet and more about me trying to keep you safe, Yakumo. If you had been left in the care of somebody else, they would not know to keep you from Maki san."

She felt her curiosity fade a little after having taken in so much information in one sitting. As she was about to suggest they prepare to leave the school, one last question flitted into her mind. "Onii san, what kind of rumors are they trying to spread about me?"

"That you're an easy conquest and that your shy disposition is just your way of being coy." She said outright. "Do not think about it. As soon as Maki san walked away, I convinced Yousuke it was untrue. Enough talk for now. Let's get back into our uniforms."

Nodding, she stood shakily. She had been sitting for so long without adjusting herself that it was painful. Standing in place, she allowed Yukina san to disrobe her before helping fold and put away the silk furisode. When she was dressed in her uniform skirt, she wiped off her makeup in front of a vanity that was sitting against the very left wall. Taking her hair down, she moved aside to allow Yukina san access to the vanity.

"I don't need it. I have one more place I'm going tonight that I need to be dressed up for. As a second tier hostess, I have a right to entertain outside of the club. As long as fifty percent makes it into the right hands, of course."

Yakumo watched as Yukina san removed her current kimono and started to put on a black one with a emerald green pattern. When it was time to put on the obi, Yakumo quickly stood and helped tie it as tightly as she could. The kimono and obi were made of an even finer material than the one Yakumo had been permitted to wear to her debut. "This is a beautiful kimono Onii san. Where are you going in it?"

"While I am no longer a student at Ichijiku, I'm allowed to attend parties they throw. Tonight, I'm going to a nice tea house in this district and meeting up with some old friends and such. If you work hard and get to a third tier status, I'll start taking you with me. Since you're now a fourth tier, I'll start training you in shamisen tomorrow. Mother says you were very talented at tea ceremony and won't need much more help in that department."

"You would really take me with you?" She asked, her eyes bright with excitement. She had never been inside a real tea house before.

"Of course I would. I want you to become a fine hostess and being acquaintances at least of more than just your own hostess club is a good idea. We aren't enemies, after all. There are some boys who attend the meetings here that know of the other hostess clubs in the area. If you don't attend the school, it costs more to be entertained there. Though it's expensive, some can afford it. If you want to keep your status once you become a third tier, it's crucial to go to other schools at least once or twice a week."

Nodding, she finished off the obi knot and put on the final obijime cord. "Finished."

"Good job. Have you ever used a shamisen?" Yukina san asked as she removed her hair ornaments and replaced them with a hair comb made of two lines of medium sized pearls and a line of emerald beads between them.

"No, I haven't. Is it difficult to learn?"

Turning away from the mirror, Yukina san looked grim. "I will tell you something but I ask that no questions are asked at this time. My own mother used to work as a Geisha and my grandmother before her. I do not have as much experience in dance, song, shamisen or tea ceremony as the Ichijiku club mother but I am a close second. It's another part of the reason why I was the only first year to be let in the club."

Yakumo nodded, determined not to ask any more questions. She bowed her head low. "Thank you, Onii san, for taking me on as your younger sister. I'm very grateful."

When Yakumo stood back up, Yukina san's grim expression was still there. "Promise that you will always do your best in this club and not back out. You have a bright future ahead of you. Staying in this club until you graduate can get you a lot of money to help with college and your first few years of life as an independent adult."

Bowing her head again, she smiled. "I promise. As long as you are my instructor, I'm positive that I'll do great."

"Do not be disappointed but mother informed me yesterday that you are not going to be given a dance on Wednesday. I am not worried and you shouldn't be either. Do you know why?"

Yakumo shook her head. "Why?"

While gathering her school bag and a lacquered parasol, Yukina san smiled. "Do not repeat this yet but mother is going to give out roles for a dance that is to be performed during Spring Break at the Tokyo Shrine Park. Each hostess club in Tokyo will be performing their own dance. That means guests of each club will be able to see it. In fact, it's all a competition. Each day, a few of the clubs will be eliminated from the competition. Each day of the competition will take place at a different shrine park. When two remain, they'll perform on the final day of the break."

"What is the prize?" Yakumo asked as they both left the room. She could tell by the sound outside the windows that it was raining at that moment. Walking through the glass arched hall made it even more obvious. Admiring how the archway looked with rain running down it, she was thankful that she remembered to bring an umbrella and store it safely in her locker.

"It's a surprise that is to be determined before the competition begins. I suspect that mother will announce the competition on Saturday since she's requested both of us be present for that meeting."

As they entered the North building, they had to politely wait their turn to get through all the guests who were trying to put on their shoes and go home. A couple were quick to look at Yukina san before looking at Yakumo in confusion, perhaps wondering if she was a hostess or not. Most of them wouldn't be able to tell when she wasn't in uniform, so to speak. Yousuke, on the other hand, knew her face right away.

"Yukina, Yakumo. Where ya going?" He slurred.

Yukina san bowed her head and Yakumo did the same. "I am about to take Yakumo home and then head to my next stop of the evening. It's a busy life for a full hostess.

"Maybe I could take Yakumo home." He said with a smile, making Yakumo wonder if he was joking or not. "What do you say, Yakumo? I can escort you and make sure no harm comes to you."

As he spoke, he got much too close for comfort and tried to put his hands on Yakumo's waist. Yakumo was quick to step back. When this didn't deter him, Yukina san took her fan she had placed in her obi before they left the room and smacked his hands with it. It wasn't enough to hurt but it did deter him for the time being.

"My, what a drunk you are. Shameful." Yukina san said shortly. "Yousuke, I love spending time with you but you must respect my younger sister. She's just a young girl, not one of your play things. Come Yakumo. The car is scheduled to pick us up any minute."

Taking Yakumo by the wrist, Yukina san led her to her designated locker so that Yakumo could put on her street shoes and collect her retractable umbrella. When the two of them were both were outside, under the awning, they opened their umbrellas and started their walk towards the taxi cab parked in front of the school gates. "Thank you, Onii san. I wasn't sure how to respond to his behavior."

"I am doing as I should. I said I'd keep you safe and I will. Remember that even the kindest and most trustworthy of men can turn out to be something other than you think."

"Are you sure that you want to give me a ride?" Yakumo asked. "I'm fine with walking."

"It's cold, rainy and there are boys who would love to have a chance alone with you walking these very streets. I will have the cab stop by your house. Where do you live?"

"It's up the little hill past Yashiko's Grocery Store." She said as they slid into the cab. A moment later, they were driving down the road. Since it took till nearly seven to leave the school, the sun was quickly setting. She thanked Kami that she had informed Tenma that she would probably be late and that there was plenty of leftovers to heat up.

When the cab stopped at the bottom of the hill, he turned around. "It's too slick for me to get up the first bump of the hill. This car's crap and I'll get stuck in the mud."

"That's alright. I can walk the rest. It's not far at all." Yakumo assured him before bowing her head to Yukina san. I will do my best tomorrow, Onii san."

"Take this." She said before handing her a slip of paper. "It's my cell phone number and my home number. If you ever have any questions that need answering before we see eachother at school, give me a call."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow." She called as she exited the cab and reopened her umbrella. Hurrying up the hill, she did her best not to slip. Making it over the first bump in the hill, she walked quickly up the smaller one up ahead before slowing her pace for the rest of the walk. If she didn't slow down any more than this, she'd make it home right when the sun set.

As she watched the sky light up with hues of orange and yellow before slowly darkening, she thought over everything she discussed with Yukina san and wondered if Maki san had changed or if she was just as dangerous. As the house came into view, she could have sworn that she could smell something cooking. Worried that Tenma might be trying to use the stove unattended, she hurried for the house and slammed the door open. "Tenma?"


End file.
